Crime Time Lover (Dimension 5)
by QueenofInsaneChaos
Summary: First story! Even when your best friends with Sonic The Hedgehog, you still feel something's missing in life. That's how 17 year old, Zeren Groter feels. Until 1 night heading home, a bright light exploded in an alleyway, revealing a female hedgehog named Zera. What happens when 2 dimensions collide? Find out in the exciting story Crime Time Lover [Dimension 5] Ra: T/M OCs involved
1. Chapter 1: Just Another Day

**Chapter 1: Just Another Day**

"DONT LET HER GET AWAY AGAIN MEN!" The chief said. 7 other officers where still in high chase after the escapee. The criminal smiled quickly towards herself, enjoying her fun.  
"Don't you guys ever get tired of playing this game?" She asked in a bored tone, even adding a small yawn to prove her point. She continued to run on the dark streets of Lilian City, many officers still running behind her. Even though she's been keeping this up for about 3 hours, she was showing no sign of stopping. And she wasn't even wearing shoes. Her prison gown was starting to take her down though. It was damp with rain, and the blood of those who dare oppose her. She was trying to lead them away from their own home field, towards hers: The forest.

"Don't play games with us, you murderer!" One of the officers shouted at her, throwing a small explosive bomb at exploded as soon as it made contact with the ground. The sudden explosion flung the girl upward a few feet, then made her land with a thud. They quickly surrounded her. They aimed their guns at her, in case she was still conscious. She was. Slowly,she stood up, her hair flowing over her face. the officers held their ground, though few were actually shaking in fear.  
"You...you actually got me...little me..."She said faintly. They almost couldn't hear her soft voice above the rain. She slowly lifted her hand to her face, searching. Then she felt a small cut above her right eye, already drawing blood across the right side of her face. She suddenly started to giggle. They quickly raised their weapons at her head, startled by the sudden sound. She raised her head ever so carefully to look at the officer that threw the bomb, and smiled.  
"BIG MISTAKE YOU FOOL!" She shouted just as she produced a small ball of bright exploding energy from her palm,then flung it at him. The man didn't even have time to scream at the quick attack. It was too late, for in no more than 3 seconds had he completely turn into smoking ash. The smell of burned flesh hung in the air. The others stared in horror at the ash pile, now being drowned with the rain, & into a sewage gate. They slowly let their horrified eyes fall on small figure of their "captive''. They suddenly opened fire on her. It was futile, for she saw this coming, and protected herself in a barrier. She smiled wickedly at these foolish attempts to try and take her out. She gave out a tiny wave blast, which sent the men spiraling upwards, then landing harshly on the ground, unconscious. She gave a light laugh at her work, and continued her run for escape.

By the time she made it safely at the start of the forest, she heard the loud wails of many sirens in the city. She frowned for a moment. The young woman slowly slid her body against a near by tree.  
"Damn, I don't have that much time...or strength to keep going." She muttered silently under her breath,clutching her chest. The pain was finally taking notice, starting to sink into her body. She couldn't give out just yet, she needed to keep going. She must get to the spot before it was to late. Then, her small hedgehog ears twitched picking out the sounds of slow movement coming from the east, where the city was. Carefully and stealth-like, she climbed the tree she was leaning saw all the beautiful lights and building of the precious place, Lilia City. But, that wasn't the focus right now. She muttered a spell under her breath. Her eyes exploded with green, like night vision goggles, as she started searching the forest floor.

Hundreds, maybe even thousands of soldiers, were littering the forest. All in search of her. Her eyes widened a bit with worry. You'd think it could be flattering, having this many men chase after you. But, that wasn't the situation at hand here. This, was not good at all. That much was obvious. Suddenly, blinding light bathed over her. She had to cover he eyes, since they were still in a night vision spell. When she finally adapted her eyes, she looked toward the source of light. It was a helicopter.

"PRISONER 5279,SURRENDER YOURSELF TO THE ORDER,OR BE KILLED!" The pilot shouted down at her. She remembered that voice, she'd know it anywhere. She looked up again, giving off a sad smile at he man flying the helicopter, and shouted back, "NOW WHY IN THE BLOODY HELL WOULD I DO THAT!? IT WOULD BE THE SAME FATE,WHICH EVER I CHOOSE! I'D RATHER DIE FREE THAN DIE A DIRTY PRISONER,RALDO!"

The young female then jumped down from her hiding tree, and started to run at top speed. The pilot, now known as Raldo,gave a small sigh. But he tapped on his com link.  
"Attention all units. Prisoner 5279 is retreating in the forest. Shoot to kill. Be careful, she is very dangerous..."He addressed them. He suddenly heard his communication screen blink to life as an image appeared. It was the high command herself.

"Raldo, what is the prisoner's location?" She asked quickly. "_Not even a simple hello...Like she even knows how to great people anyway..._" He thought to himself.

"Sir,5279 is in the Gulamend Forest. We are soon going to surround her. I have everything under control." He reported. The High commander gave a small glare at him, then banged her hand on her desk. Her image fizzled for a moment, then became stable again.

"IDIOT! Surrounding her is USELESS! And giving the men the order to kill her on site was **NOT** what I had intended... I want her back **ALIVE**,**NOW**." She said coldly. Raldo gave a short nod after her fast out burst.

"Yes, Commander..." He said slowly. With a nod of her approval, she signed off. Raldo sighed. "_This job is never going to be easy...Why did_ **_she_**_ have to come into my life?_" He wondered. He shook his head to clear this stupid thoughts. The mission came first, emotions later. He put the come link on again, now moving the helicopter forward to where he last saw the escaped prisoner.

"All units, this is Commander Raldo. Do not shoot to kill, shoot to stun. I repeat, shoot to stun. That is all." He was actually glad about not killing the prisoner.

"Crap, I cant keep this up any longer." the female prisoner exclaimed. She was jumping and dodging heavy fire. It was like a war zone. Bombs exploding, guns firing, all around her. But then again, she was use to this happening to her. She was now covered in dirt and ash. Not even the rain could clean her up. Her legs were now aching with a burning passion, covered in deep cuts and scraps with slowly drying gold blood. She was also losing her speed. She needed to hold off these goons just a little longer. Then the light shined on her again from the copter.

"THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE 5279! SURRENDER YOURSELF NOW,AND NO HARM WILL COME APON YOU!" OK, even HE knew that was a total load of bull crap, a complete lie. He was betting his next "talk" with The High Commander that she knew that was a false statement.  
"Ral, we BOTH KNOW THATS A LIE! YOU PHONEY GUYS NEVER KEEP YOUR STUPID PROMISES!" She yelled over her shoulder cockily over the helicopter blades. She suddenly started to speed up, now feeling some strength and confidence to keep going. She sped faster and faster, getting ahead of Raldo and his marching men.

Finally, her eyes found the clearing. She smiled widely and gave a jump and howl for joy. This living nightmare of a hellhole will be over soon. Freedom! She was soon going to escape their evil clutches...again. When she finally made it to the clearing, she suddenly stopped. All of the enemy soldiers, tanks, and helicopter surrounded her. Raldo kept the light directly on her. He then put the copter on auto pilot as he gave a tremendous leap towards the ground.  
He looked at the so called "dangerous" female hostage. He was surprised she could still put up a fight and be moving, seeing all of her serious injuries. All of those cuts, bruises, wounds, all over her small body. No wonder she was in their top security. But still, she had suddenly given up.. why? If he was in her footsteps, he actually saw a few chances of last minute escapes. But he didn't want her finding them, so it was a moment of peace that she stopped running. Still, the buzzing in the back of his head said this was probably going to be some sort of plot, so he played along with it anyway as he pulled out a stun gun out of its sheath, and aimed it at her.

"I told you, foolish captive, NO ONE escapes N.U.G." He stated to her harshly. The soldiers chanted around them in agreement. A smug smile played at Raldo's lips.  
"Now, put up your hands out so I can cuff you." He commanded, taking a pair of yellow handcuffs. She gave a small glare at the man, but did as she was told. He slowly walked closer to her keeping the gun raised in case she had any last minute tricks. He was just about to put them on her small wrists when she started to chuckle. He stopped dead set in his movements, and gave her a curious look, eyebrows raised slightly.

"What are you laughing at, you piece of filthy shit!?" He confronted her. She started to laugh uncontrollably, almost insanely. The soldiers around them began to whisper and murmur.  
"Has she really lost her mind again?" "Why is she laughing?" "Why doesn't the captain cuff her already?" "Are his feelings kicking in again?" After that last comment Raldo heard, his eyes widen in shock, and kicked the girl square in her the stomach. She was flung, left tumbling into the grass a few feet away. Since she was in the middle of laughing, she choked on her own breath, and started to throw up. The sticky, horrifyingly beautiful golden blood flowed softly out of her mouth like a small river. A few soldiers shrieked in surprise and fear at the sudden outburst of action from the both of them, while others said 'eww',and the rest just remained silent and unmoving.

Raldo glanced at the puking child, then at his men. "Do you all honestly think that I have such feelings for this pathetic creature?" He pointed down towards her, who was shaking violently. The soldiers didn't utter a word. "The answer is obvious: NO! This...this failure of a child is not worth my time! She has killed so many of us, mocked our very name! She's committed more crimes in her whole life than an average man could do in 2 years! She is a murderer, a monster,she...is different from the rest of us. What does this horrible piece of shit deserve?" He continued.

"DEATH! BURN THE WICTH ALIVE! SHE'S EVIL!" They all chanted at their captain. He smiled, then walked over to the cowering creature who had finally stopped spilling blood out of her face. He lifted her by her small neck, completely chocking her. She tried to move her hands at him, trying to make him release her, but they fell limply to her sides. He grinned victoriously.  
"_Too easy..._" He thought. He was positive she wasn't dead, but not exactly alive either. Probably just weak, like the worthless being she was.

"Finally, I have you." He said silently, again close to cuffing her. But, all of that changed until he heard a soft sweet voice, and was kicked very hard in the chest. He dropped the child, and the cuffs. He fell to the ground, but quickly stood up.

"You actually thought you really had me, didn't you?" the small child said, slowly and carefully picking her small form up. His eyes widened in fear, but also in awe and amazement. She walked over to him. "Your statement is false Ral. IM the only being to escape your pathetic N.U.G. And I've done it more than once." She said smugly, then punched him dead set in his jaw. He flew backwards into the crowd of soldiers. Two of them held the poor captain by his arms. All of them fearfully looked at the "worthless weak child" they all had seen looking dead a moment ago. She smiled sweetly, though her now burning blazing blood red filled with hatred and death said the opposite of her smile. With the last of her remaining strength, she shouted a spell towards the heavens.  
"_**No mi, maywar...TELO MIYO DONTA!**_" She chanted. A beam of beautiful pure white light exploded from the ground around her. The soldiers started to shout, wondering what the hell is going on. Finally, Captain Raldo came to, observing the scene before him. His eyes went wide with fright as he saw the girl, eyes as white as the clouds of heaven themselves, and the portal forming around her. He screamed his orders in alarm.

"D-DONT LET HER GET AWAY AGAIN! THE COMMANDER NEED HER ALIVE,NOW! S-SHOOT HER!" he wailed, flailing his arms around like a 3 year old. The soldiers looked at him, than at the girl. She was now slowly lowering down into the bright portal.  
"NOW,DAMN YOU,NOW!" He ordered. This time, they did not hesitate. They opened fire on the deadly child. Of course, many missed her completely. Only a few shots where good enough to hit her. A shot got her on her barefoot, another on her back where the clothing was torn and exposing already burning flesh and fur, and the last one hit her in the back of her head. She wailed a terrifying, yet sad scream as she disappeared into the portal. Soldiers quickly took action and tried to follow her. But they failed, for the white vortex closed as soon as she disappeared into it. The captain stared, then cursed silently under his breath. He just couldn't believe it! He was certain he had her in his clutches! Now he knew for sure this creature was very hard to capture. But what really got to him was what words she had said sweetly and caring to him before she attacked him with a good sock to his pie hole. "Thank you Raldo, for everything..." What exactly had she meant by that? Was she really that weak she went even more insane?

He rubbed his sore jaw, now feeling drops of blood on his fingers. He saw most of the tired and probably terrified men of his after what had happened tonight, slowly walk back to headquarters. Until his lieutenant ran up to him quickly. He gave a quick salute, which the beaten man tiredly returned.

"Sir, it's the High Commander. She is asking if the mission was a success." He stated. Raldo gave a short sigh. The small man gave him a curious look, then handed Raldo the communicator.

"Well, was it a successful mission?" She barked impatiently. Boy, was he going to get an earful right now.  
"N-no Sir, Prisoner # 5279...has escaped." He said shamefully. He almost dropped the device the High Commander was screaming in.

"BLASTED RALDO,YOU LET HER ESCAPE AGAIN!? I CAN NOT TOLERATE ALL THE MISSIONS YOU HAD TRYING TO GET THE LITTLE BRAT!" She finally calmed down, and took a deep breath. Slowly, the captain looked at the Commander. "Well, I suppose this isn't ALL your fault. I have myself to blame as well, letting you take over the capture missions..." There was a small sigh before she pressed on. "Report back to headquarters. We will discuss your failure then." She said, then signed off.

The poor man hung his head, silent for a moment. The other man looked at him in worry. Raldo slowly handed him back the communicator. He slowly made his feet drag his body toward the helicopter's ladder. He climbed it, and entered the cockpit. He turned the com unit back on one last time.  
"All remaining units, report back to home. I repeat, lets go home...Good try guys." He added silently. He turned it off, and put the flying machine off auto pilot. He took the controls and slowly headed back to base in utter humiliation.

"I'm sorry Liah, it wasn't my fault, I was drunk again, ok?" Zeren pleaded to his girlfriend. Exclaiming in a huff, the young chick known as Liah, shook her head.

"Why should I believe you Zeren? Sure, the first time was an accident, the second time a coincidence, but 5 TIMES!? Your just fucking with me, aren't you?" She exclaimed, her voice unsteady and full of sadness. Zeren just stared at her. She was holding her hands by her sides, slowly balling them into fists.  
She was shaking, trying not to cry. Her bright eyes searched for his, for a sign, for a clue...ANYTHING, to see what his heart was saying. But...she never found it.

"I see then...if you were that unhappy with me, then I'll just go." Zeren said simply. With hot tears falling from her face,she shut the door on him. He stayed there for a few moments, then started down the steps, and headed into the streets.

"Well, this is wonderful. This is the 5th girl I lost this month...well, in my defense, she was another clinger. Has to practically stalk me, talk too much without me even drawing a breath...boring..." He paused his pace, stumped on what he just said. _Boring_...yes, that was all he got. A girl who always goes for his looks, not for what he's really got.  
"Why...cant a girl who would actually not afraid to hit me, keep me in line, and leave me in wonder?" He pondered out loud. He shook his head, trying to escape his sad fantasies. There isn't a girl like that here. Not in his neighborhood, his school, his town, his state, this world, ANYWHERE! Had he not made it clear before?

~_No one would want to be with him_.~

He's rude, sloppy, a drug addict, and likes to take advantage of others. Maybe that's why girls leave him. He's insensitive towards them when he wants his way. And they let him. They let themselves be swept away by him.

He hated that.

He wanted to have someone, **anyone**, rebel against him in his acts. Play with him, make him...  
"Feel wanted..." He uttered. His eyes opened at his discovery. But, it could never happen anyway.

Zeren was continuing his walk home, when there was a sudden explosion of bright light coming from an alleyway sounds of trashcans crashing, rats running from...something. His brow raised with curiousness and excitement, & he slowly peeked inside.  
"Blasted, to dark to see.." he mumbled, digging in his pocket for his cellphone. As soon as he found the small device and turned it on, he began to walk quietly into the alleyway. He heard rats scurrying around his feet. He made a disgusted face,until he heard a small sound.

It was a yelp.

He shifted for a moment with surprise, wondering if it was made that sudden flash of light. He heard his footsteps echo off the walls as he got closer to the being who made the mysterious noise. Then, he finally laid his eyes on it.  
Well, on her.

She looked so small, almost like a kitten, curled up in what seemed in pain and fear. He thought she was simply a child, but then he realized he was wrong when he looked more at her...womanly features. Nope, she was far from being a child, but not exactly a full woman. "_She's probably just a teen.._" He thought to himself. He continued to observe her.  
She looked like she's been passed out for a while. He suddenly smell something that wasn't the stinky alley. It was...burnt flesh. He quickly leaned over the girl. Yes, her dirty gown was slightly smoking.

She had some build, he admitted that. Had some muscle on her arms, and if he could see correctly, powerful legs. But what really confused him was what she was wearing. It was a gown, covered with dirt, ash, and some other shit he couldn't make out. Hadn't she known it was now fall? Guess she a new person here. Slowly, and carefully, not wanting her waking up in alarm, touched her arm.  
The reaction was fast. His hand started to burn like fire, and quickly pulled away. He then noticed the faintly glowing sticky substance on his palm. It looked like...

"**GOLD**?!" he whispered in surprise. He looked around, hoping no one had heard his outburst. He quickly fumbled with his phone, and called someone.  
"Hey, Mum? I just wanted to let you know that I broke up with Liah, and coming home."

"Well, it's about time you dumped her sorry ass!" His mother exclaimed rather happily. He had to scoff at this.

"I knew she didn't like Liah.." He uttered quietly to himself. He looked down at the girl again. "Hey um, Mum? Do you think you can make room on the couch I think I found a guest."  
There was absolute silence on the other end, but a caring sigh broke out.

"Fine, I'll ask Joey to do it. Just come home quickly." She said tiredly before she hung up. He put the phone in his pocket,and glanced at the girl again. A small smiled tugged at his lips for a moment, then faded away.

He gently picked the young female in his arms, trying not to touch the burning flesh, or any other injury she might have. She is lighter than she looks. He peered his head out of the alley way. Seeing that the coast was clear, he started to walk home, his new treasure breathing lightly in his strong hands.


	2. Chapter 2: Everything Is Different

Second chapter post! Yayz! I'm still learning everything here, so bare with me if these aren't perfect. Now that I know how to install certain things, here: **Warning: First few chapters are short [due to my handwritten version.] they are mostly 16 to 18 pages of notebook paper. I don't remember EXACTLY when the chapters start getting longer, but they WILL. Until then, enjoy! ~Lil Kitty Author**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Everything Is Different Now**

"Oh Zeren, I'm so glad that-...**WHAT IN THE HELL ARE YOU CARRYING IN MY HOUSE!?**" Zeren's mother exclaimed as she saw her son walk in the house. Now that there was good light, Zeren saw what the girl really looked like.

**_ -_****_Death_****_-_**

She was conpletely covered in ash and sut. Her scent was like a burning hell, her bare skin marked with cuts, scraps, bruises, and horrible wounds. Her dried golden blood stained parts of her gown, her arms, face, and feet.

"I found her in the alleyway near Liah's house. There was just this sudden flash of light, and there she was. She's been passed out ever since. She's terribly injured. Can we keep her?" Zeren asked kindly, as if she was a puppy dog. His mother was still staring at the dying girl in his arms.

"I must be out of my bloody mind..." She sighed out quietly, but nodded. "Alright, she can stay, but **_ONLY_** until she gets better, and we find out where she belongs."

Zeren let out a whoop of joy, but his mother glared at him to pipe down before he awoken their new guest. Suddenly there was a thunder of quick footsteps coming from the hall. They both looked over to see Zeren's older brother, Joey. He was rubbing an eye, though the other was blazing at his brother.

"Jeez Ren,what the hell?! You could wake up the whole neighborhood..-" He paused, seeing his brother holding a certain chick. "Hey, who's the new brood? Dump Li-what's her face?" He asked with interest, eyeing Zeren.

"Yes, I have broken up with her. And this, this is my new friend. I'm gonna call her Smokey." He said with a joking smile. Joey smirked a little. "Because it looks like she's been livin in a fiery hell pit?" Joey suggested. He broke into laughter, til his mother whacked him upside the head. Joey gave a small yelp and rubbed his head, giving her his red puppy eyes.

"Do **NOT** be rude to our guest. She's probably had a harsh life. The poor sweetie." She pouted in her motherly tone. She had a sorry look in her eyes as she looked at the girl again. "Joey, go back to sleep hun."

"Aww, c'mon Jackie, I want to help heal our new friend." He whined. "Jackie" was not pleased with her eldest child calling her by her first name. She raised her hand above her head, looking like she was going to hit him.

"Bed, **NOW**." She demanded, her pale blue eyes practically growing with serious anger. She wasn't taking no for an answer, or any crap. Joey held his hands up in defeat, his face paling.

"Fine, Im going...Just keep me updated on Smokey." He added quickly, before dashing back to his room and before he could get wacked again. With _that _son now gone, she headed into the kitchen to find the first aid kit."Lay her on the couch Zeren, spread her arms and legs." She mumbled tiredly. Zeren nodded and did what he was told. He gently layed her on the big brown couch.

"_Wait a minute, the last time I touched her.."_ He thought, slowly looking at his hands. They were still smeared with the mysterious gold-like liquid. He stared at her gently. "What are you...?" He wondered softly. The girl was still a dead person. At a quick glance, you'd think she's be dead. But if you looked closely, her chest was moving up and down. Not by much, but moving all the same. Her breath was shallow though.

"Zeren, she's okay,right?" His mother asked, snapping him out of his trance. He nodded. She smiled lightly. "Im glad, we must tend to her wounds quickly before it's too late." She set down the kit inbetween her and her son. She first took out some proxide, and a cotton swab. "This might sting a little dear,brace yourself.." She said airly. Slowly, gently, she dabbed some proxide on the swab,and made it have contact with the guest's skin.

She winced once, moaning in pain, but then remained silent and unmoving. Both Zeren and his mother exchanged identical looks, both smiling a little seeing their friend showing signs of life. Jackie kept cleaning at her cuts and wounds, while Zeren tried cleaning her up with wipes. He kept trying to be gentle and slow, but any more firm contact she would yelp.

"Are you TRYING to kill her?!" His mother whispered in anger. He gave her a sheepish grin and apologized. With that said, Jackie continued to clean away, until she noticed faint glowling. "U-uh...Z-Zeren...is she bleeding...gold?!" She questioned in amazement. Zeren paused in his work. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he didn't want her to know the truth.. not **JUST**yet anyway...

"I'm not sure. I'm not all too good with elements, and minerals...and stuff." He replied. She eyed him with curious suspicion, but shrugged it off.

"That's true..and you've got the grades to prove it." She said, a faint smile growing on her lips. Zeren rolled his eyes at the statement, but didn't deny it. They continued to work in silence, once in awhile holding their breath if the girl stirred. After about five minutes, they have cleaned, and practically mummified the injured girl."We should probably get her into some new clothes while we're at it." Zeren said, noticing how the small gown she was wearing was literally covered in blood, ash, and was ripped and torn. Jackie nodded with agreement, and hurried off towards her room, trying to find something.

With his mother not watchin him like a hawk, Zeren finally got to observe his new guest better.

_ ~She was breathtaking~_

She was a hedgehog,and was just about taller than most female hedgehogs he's met. She had long,flowing hair. Even though they where still quills, it acted like hair. It was midnight black, though her short bangs where purple and red. Only her face,legs, (that could be seen above the bandages), and he's pretty sure her belly ( he couldnt check, Jackie would shoot him if she saw him trying to look under her gown), was a pale tan. Her pointed black ears, were a little bit bigger than regular hedgehogs. Their insides, were also tan. My, they looked so sweet and soft to touch..

Slowly, he moved his hand to the closest ear,which was her right one, which looked okay to him. No marks,cuts, or any wierd blood. "Almost..." he whispered,about to pet her ear.

"Zeren, leave the poor girl alone,she needs to rest." His mother's voice piped up angerly. He tensed up and froze. Damn, so close! He sweat-dropped a little.

"I'm sorry...I'm just curious..." He said shyly, looking up at Jackie. She sighed a motherly sigh, it clearly stating, _"Oh, what am I going to do with you?"_ Jackie rubbed her temples, but she finally laid the clothes next to the sleeping girl.

"Hun, please go get a pillow and blanket for her please while I put these on her." She commanded her son. Zeren nodded, and headed upstairs to the closet. Jackie made a faint smile, but it faded as soon as it appeared. She then peeled her guest out of her raggity clothes, and quickly put some of her old pajamas on her before Zeren got back downstairs. Jackie smiled again, for they seemed to have fit her well. "Guess I still have my youthful figure." Jackie giggled silently to herself. Zeren finally came back with a pillow shaped like the Mine Turtle, and a blanket covered in pictures of cheese and pickles.

"You still have what Mum?" He asked with a curious voice. Jackie blushed for a moment, turning towards her youngest son.

"U-uh, nothing sweety." She studdered shyly. Zeren raised a brow at her, but shrugged none the less. He then glanced at "Smokey."

She looked like a regular teen.

_Completely adorable._

Jackie had given her her old sleeping wear when she was in collage. They were the small T-shirt with the pandas on it, and the grey pants. He had a small grin growing on his face. He slowly put the pillow under her head, then wrapped her up in the blanket. She curled up instantly with the close contact of warmth against her body.

"Well, I'm going to bed, goodnight Zeren." She said gently, kissing his cheek. He heard her footsteps trail up the stairs, into her room, closing the door, and finally laying in her bed in a flash. Zeren looked back at Smokey and had shock plain on his face.

She was crying.

Little tears stained her cheeks, flowling slowly from her eyes. Yet, there was a certain shine to them. He leaned closer towards her face, observing the falling tears.

_Silver_

"She's...crying silver?" He said in an outstanded whisper. He glanced at her again. She had this sad puppy dog look. His face heated up quickly. To make it worse, she made small little mews. They had pain in them, but it was too soft and cute to think they meant harm.

"What should I do? What CAN I do?" he asked timidly. Smokey was shivering slightly, and was trying not to thrash around. Even **ONE** inch of movement could open up one of her hundreds of bandages, and start bleeding again. He sighed quietly.

_ "Maybe if I could just...calm her down."_ He thought. It was obvious she was having a nightmare, and could not be woken up from it. So, carefully, he let his hand glide slowly to her head, and started to stroke her ear.

She stopped shivering from the soft contact, but her tears would not stop flowing. He tried to pet both ears. Soon, her whimpering had become silent, and her eyes grew dry of crying too much. Slowly, her face uncurled from the sad look, and became blank. Zeren smiled to himself slightly, glad he was calming her down.

She slowly started to purr silently after enjoying the comforting contact on her ears. Zeren almost laughed when she tried curling up against him, but couldnt or she would fall off the couch. He enjoyed petting her ears, they're just as he imagined they would be 10 minutes ago. Soft texture, smooth insides, and absolute warmth. He was starting to doze off, getting quite sleepy from this calm moment. He gently moved her closer to the inside of couch to make room for himself. Quietly, not to disturb Smokey and still keeping his hands on her ears, he laid next to her sleeping form. She didn't mind, for she was finally calmly asleep.

"Goodnight Smokey." He whispered. His eyes where slowly closing on him. His mother would probably hit him if she saw this, but Zeren was far too calm and happy to care. Finally, his eyes closed and shut him out of reality, into a wonderful dream fantasy.

Raldo walked slowly down the halls of N.U.G. This was not one of his best nights, no. In fact, this might of been the **worse** mission nights of his life. Not only did he fail his mission for the **7th TIME**, but somehow he managed to piss off the High Commander herself." _WOW, someone give him a medal for most failed life right now_." A little voice inside his head told him. He sighed.

Raldo had tried to please the High Commander by trying to be friends with the prisoner again, learn her weaknesses & secrets, and take her out for sure. But alas, the prisoner was smarter than he was, even at her young age. Then, she humiliated him by escaping for maybe forever. He sighed at his thoughts, preparing for the worst to come. He was just outside the Commander's office."Just take the pain, and leave.." He muttered before he entered her room.

The High Commander looked up sharply from her writing. Still as terrifing as ever. Not many knew this for none of the others have seen her, but their High Commander has an eyepatch on her left eye. Granted, that was a good thing, for her right eye was much better at seeing. She was a wolf, with her blazing yellow eye hooked on Raldo. You could hardly see her since her room was so dark, for she had dark fur. She had her paws placed carefully under her chin, as if she found Raldo interesting.

"Sit Raldo." She said. Not in a harsh voice, but not exactly a nice voice. (If she knew about them or had one.)

Timidly, as if the chair would explode if his bottom made contact with it, slowly sat down. He was trying not to make eye contact, yet he knew her eye was burning a hole in his skull. They sat in complete silence til High Command let out an airy sigh.

"Raldo, you know what I'm going to talk to you about?" she said in a less serious tone than she usually had. He grimanced. How could he forget? Her head was near a nagging explosion for explaining his failure. But, he wasnt letting his head ruin him even more. He nodded slowly.

"Yes sir, I belive so..." His voice had a small pause in it. The High Command stood up out of her chair, circling around her desk and the frightened captain.

"I would hope. Raldo, I've only asked you nicely so many times to keep her on lockdown, not let her escape, and keep her in order." She slammed her paw on the desk. Raldo even jumped slightly. "Yet, you** FAILED!** Many times I'm afraid to add." She said coldly. Raldo slowly let his eyes drift to the floor. "And to make things WORSE, THIS escape of her's might of been her LAST! From what I've heard from the men, she transported herself through a portal. This is truely an utter diseappointment from you Captain Raldo. So, I must say..." And for the first time ever when Raldo looked up, he saw the Commander smile. Not a full smile, more of a faint grin, but a way of happiness on her face all the same."Good Job." She said. Raldo did a double take. Wait, had he heard her correctly? Did she just give him a congrats? For failing? This, is not adding up.

"But, m-ma'am, I-I thought..." He studdered in utter confusion. High Command sat back in her chair, setting a look on Raldo.

"Since you seem lost on this matter, allow me to try and explain this to you. You see,seeing as she is teloprting now, her powers are more in order. This is what I intended to happen. As much as she hates this organization, she knows she can not escape her destiny from us!" Another not full smile pursed her lips before she continued. " Don't you see Raldo? We can use her powers for our own needs! Even after everything she has done, we now have an advantage on our side. But,this is all I can explain to you, for the rest of this plan is not under your order, nor your concern." she added quickly. Raldo could only stare.

"So, are you saying...my failures where apart of your plan? It was a good thing?" Raldo was trying to figure all of this out. She wanted the escaped criminal angry to have hatred on the organization,to activate her powers? She just...needed a push? Was this leader really as insane as the criminal? Command let out a sigh again.

"Well, perhaps your first few failures were what held my plan back. But with the last 2 and today's failure, that's all I needed. And, that's all she needed to be shoved closer in the corner. We must call down our sister organizations, they might know where she is now." She stood up again, walking toward another door, hidden in the back of the room. Raldo slowly stood up as well, but made no move to be closer to the High Command.

"But...our sisters are spread on all dimensions, how can they find her?" he piped out. Some of them didn't even have advance technology like they did. In fact, this is why they are the head organization of them all! He glanced at High Command. She was doing something in the other room, but she was very quiet at whatever she was doing. Being curious and suspicious, he made a single step towards the room. A single heartbeat later, she stepped out of the room, a mischevious glint in her eye. Raldo stepped back in fear, thinking he was about to step in the Commander's private living area. Her eye slowly met his, still the glint hidden in her's.

"That will not be a worry for us, Captain Raldo. For I have tracked her location in one of our sister's dimension." She stated slyly. Raldo paled out for a moment.

"How...how did you do that? She used some sort of teloport magic to escape us. And no one can ever track _that_ kind of magic." He said in a confused voice. She held out her hand slowly at him.

"Do not forget Raldo, **WHY** I'm the High Commander here, and Highest Sister out of all the others." Her voice turned cold like ice, but still soft. The hand she held out began to spark and fizzle until flames were burning in the palm of her paw like hand. The glow of the flames reflected into her eye, which made it look like a burning hell...like she was hell herself. "I am the one with more powerful magic than all...possibly more than our little girl." Her face, for maybe a split second, was more than just a woman's face. It was the look they would call, "_ Myinta_", or in simple words, "_ The One of Death."_ That's what concerned him on a high scale.

"S-so...where exactly is she?" He asked timidly, hoping this moment would end. And indeed it did. She snapped out of her trance, and focused on Raldo, then another faint grin appeared.

"She's in the 5th demsion... that means she's in THAT idiot's territory now. She appeared on the Northern Hemisphere on that blasted planet..." She sighed, putting a paw to her forehead. Annoyance, huh? So suspicious...

"So, that means...?" Raldo asked in amazement. She nodded her head grimly.

"Yes...she's trapped on Earth's twin planet, Marnt." her voice was grave, almost in complete worry for her escaped weapon. She sighed, lost in her own thoughts, then turned to the captain.

"Go try and make contact with that blasted imbacile, and tell him all the information he needs to have our friend in chains." She commanded Raldo. He nodded slowly, then gave a quick salute before she dismissed him.

"Everything is different now..." Raldo told himself quietly before he headed towards the communication towers.


	3. Chapter 3: A Feeling Of Safety

**Lookz like things are getting interesting for our friendz! Wonder how things will turn out? Read this chapter to find out! ENJOY! [Author's Note: I forgot to add these to the first 2 chapters: Chapter 1 AND 2 were both 16 pages.] ~Lil Kitty Author**

* * *

** Chapter 3: A Feeling of Safety**

**_ Pain._**

Pain was everywhere. Legs, arms, feet, hands, back, neck,_everything_ was burning her from the inside out like fire. Her eyes stirred, until finally she let them see the scene around her. She blinked, doing a double-take with observing her surroundings.

_Where...was she?_

She was not where she wanted to go. Instead of going to another forest location in another dimension, she was in a house. A nice one she admitted, but a danger zone none the less.

She appeared to be in a living room, if her observations and hearing where correct. There was a big T.V in the far corner from her right. She could make out a door, which she believed led towards the outside. Mental note: First escape route, main one actually, find backup ones. Far ahead of her, there where spiraling stairs which probably went to the living quarters. Then a sudden thought struck her sore head. WHO'S living space is she sleeping in? Her heart came alive, beating fast with panic and alarm. Then she heard a faint noise.

_Soft breathing._

She completely froze her body in stillness. She tilted her head slowly to decrease anymore pain there. She then saw the creature that was making the sound.

It was a young male.

He was not too young, but not that old either. _"In fact, he looks no older than me."_ she thought as she was observing him. He looked like a hedgehog, but his quills were too long. Maybe he was a runt. Or maybe... he wasn't a hedgehog at all. She's heard about creatures that were related to hedgehogs. In fact, they were cousins. They had the longer tails and quills.

"_He's...an echidna."_ she thought with wonder. If her knowledge was correct, those quills are actually called dreadlocks. She slowly moved her hand to tug on one of them. She felt the powerful muscle in them, but the softness of his orange fur almost hid it. He let out a small grunt at the contact, but stayed under the spell of sleep.

_"Now let's see about his tail..."_ She thought again, trying to fight the burning pain all over her body as she tried moving over the boy to observe his tail. Her belly brushed lightly on his side as she finally laid her gentle eyes on her target.

It was curly.

Well, not exactly curly, but not well-shaped like hers. "More...spikey would be appropriate." She explained to herself. She again raised her hand to touch it. As soon as her hand made it to it's destination, a reaction took place.

The male let out a small gasp as she started to stroke the large tail. She actually gave a small grin as the boy under her started to squirm around, as if he was trying not to explode with laughter. She shook her head with disapproval, but only in a teasing way. This will not do. This might be the only way to wake him up and get answers. She then started to play with his tail, twirling it within her nimble fingers. A squeak came out of the male echidna at this action. She smiled again. She continued to play with the soft tail.

"This is actually amusing, I must admit." She was having fun teasing his tail. He continued to move around as his tail was being teased by this young hedgehogette. She smirked as she gave a big tug on his tail. He let out another squeak, though this was not a manly one at all. It was a moan actually.

"One more tug should do the trick." She planned deviously.. She pointed herself carefully, knowing that she could be flown when he woke up. Finally, she gave his tail one last tug.

That did it.

He jumped up in complete shock, though he began to laugh. He fell off the couch completely. He continued to laugh for about 5 minutes, when an important thought struck his brain like a bat to a baseball. WHO had been tickling his sensitive tail? Was it...Smokey? He froze over for a moment, then slowly raised his head over the couch, and became lost.

Her eyes...

Her eyes were none like any other eyes he had **EVER**seen. Sure, his past lovers that he was with, he had always told them they had beautiful eyes. NONE of them could compare to the eyes he was seeing now. They were the purest of any silver than he had ever known. More dazzling and sparkling than any coin he has ever seen. They were full of life and awareness, he couldn't look away.

"_Stop staring..."_ A small feminine voice commanded him in his head. He blinked and shook his head in utter confusion. Who was saying this? Last time he checked, his conscience, had a man's voice. But, that could only mean...He slowly looked at Smokey again.

_ Dullness._

Her eyes where suddenly not as bright as before. In fact, they where slowly getting dull. He frowned slightly. Why where they losing their great beauty?

"B_ecause I'm using too much of magic to talk to you through thought."_ The woman voice spoke out again. It made sense now. It was Smokey who was talking to him. He quickly got up, red starting to stain his cheeks.

"I-I'm sorry for staring..." he stuttered in a soft voice. He glanced up at his new quest again. She simply nodded at his apology, then slowly laid her head back on the pillow, though she was still observing him, as he was towards her. They were silent towards each other until Zeren spoke up.

"Ummm...I'm Zeren. What's your name?" He asked, hoping as long as she was awake, he might as well know her more. She blinked up at him, then tried to make a motion to speak. Instead of words coming out of her mouth, drops of blood dripped down from her mouth towards the floor. They both stared in horror as her golden blood fell. She quickly covered her mouth, looking away from Zeren. She started to cough, which only brought up more blood. In a panic, he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. Then he ripped off a napkin from the paper towel rack, and came back to his silver-eyed friend.

"Here, use this napkin to clean your hands and mouth, then drink this to help clear your throat. Guess there were some injuries in you we couldn't find." He said caringly. She nodded in gratitude for the napkin and drink of water. She wiped her hands and mouth quickly, then took the glass,and drank down every last drop of water. She laid the empty glass and golden napkin on the table that she apparently missed earlier, then rested her head back on the pillow.

"Are you feeling okay now?" he asked her, worry in his eyes and concern dripping into his voice. She tiredly tried to raise her neck to face him, but failed, and groaned softly in agony. He nodded understandingly. She was far from okay. But he needed her to give him some information. Talking is out of the question, he didn't want her to have an episode , his light bulb went off.

"I got an idea, hang on." he said, walking towards the spiral stairs. He checked the hall as soon as he reached the top. He looked towards the left, where his mother's room and his and Joey's bathrooms were, then glanced to the right, where his and Joey's rooms were. Seeing that no one was awakened by the noise, he scurried to his room.

Not too clean, not too messy either. Like a regular teenage guy. Piles of clothes scattered all across the floor, & even the bed. Homework, papers, and more crap covered his desk. He walked over towards his desk, grabbed the notebook he never used (also known as the notebook he needs for math he never uses.) Then he quickly grabbed a pencil, and ran back downstairs.

"Here, use this." He told her, handing her the notebook and pencil. Seeing where he was going with this, she nodded in silence,but still in gratitude and wrote down some things.

"Thank you, this way it will be easier for the both of us. And the answer to your question is Zera. My name is Zera, pleased to meet you Zeren."

"Zera? That's your name?" He asked her as he read her neat print handwriting. A nod is what he got from her. "Zera...that is a unique name." he said with a weird smile. She glanced down, as if she was embarrassed by the nice comment. "Well Zera, how old are you? You actually don't look any older than me." He asked her. Again, her eyes glanced down, but not in embarrassment. She wrote a little slower this time.

"Well...I would believe I am 16,perhaps 17 in about a month...Where I was, you couldn't tell when it was day or night."

He couldn't believe what he was reading. She'll be turning his age in a month! But the words after that...filled his heart with sad curious pain. "I'm...I'm sorry to ask this, and you don't need to answer fully but...where are you from?"

At first, she didn't make a movement to write. In fact, she had a confused look on her face as if she didn't understand the question. He sat down on the arm on the other side of the couch from her in worry. She suddenly made eye contact with Zeren again. He blinked, seeing her eyes where slowly getting brighter again. The water must of helped her. She only gave a small smile and started to write again.

"Yes, it is a rough subject, but I can tell you if you can tell me this...where exactly am I?"

_"Wait, she doesn't know where we are? Have I just picked up an insane but really sweet girl?!"_ He thought as he looked at her again. Those blasted eyes where just torturing him, being full of innocence, curious nature, and pureness. He shuffled a bit,now sitting completely on the couch, folding his legs under him. This, might just turn into a whole new world of freaky. Yet, he was okay with that.

"Well, I live here in New Mobious, on the planet Marnt. It is said that this is the twin planet of Earth. Only difference is, they are humans, and we are anthroporph." He explained to her. Her eyes suddenly went wide with panic and fear. He gave her a curious look. " Zera...are you okay?" he asked her gently, as he got a little closer to her. She suddenly shifted the warm blanket off of herself. She tried getting up, but due to her condition, she felt her legs buck under her, and she collapsed on the floor. Shocked, he quickly moved towards her and gently picked her up and laid her back on the couch.

"Zera, listen to me, you can't go anywhere, you're still healing after your terrible injuries. You must rest." He told her. She sighed, then wrote down furiously.

"You do not understand Zeren! I need to get out of here! I need to get to my own planet!"

"Home...planet? Are you saying...you aren't from here?" He asked, trying not to sound fearful. He didn't know if he should be afraid...or pleased. Did...his wish come true? She looked down, and continued to write.

"Exactly...I'm from the 7th dimension. I'm from the planet Veron, where mostly humans live. Only one city in that entire damned planet is for beings like us...like me..."

"You want to go home, but you also hate it there... AND SUDDENLY HERE! WHY!?" He said, his voice rising in small anger, but confusion. He didn't even know he had that tone. He's trying to get into her personal life, but this girl is crazy and needed his help.

Whether she liked it or not.

"...Look Zeren, it is not that I dislike your planet...the things ON it are what I dislike...Same as my own..."

He felt a small tug of guilt on his heart for yelling at Zera.

" I'm sorry Zera, I didn't mean to explode like that. I'm just...really worried and confused." He said honestly. Her eyes where filling up with tears, but she quickly looked away.

"It is alright Zeren, I know how you feel. But here, let me try to explain everything the best I can. I am...a prisoner. I have been kept in a prison and asylum under the organization of N.U.G. I still find that name completely stupid. It stands for Nations Under God. They believe they are the heroes of my world, but they are anything but that. They have captured, arrested, and even killed innocent people. It was so cruel, seeing this all destroyed. They believe we are vermin and shouldn't see the world. I believed that was idiotic, for their leader is EXACTLY both like us. So...I tried to stop them. It was a foolish thing to do...I was so young, no more than 7, to be serious...they tried turning me; in as a rebel, even though I was. But since I am...not like others, I escaped. They were so amazed by me, that they captured me again, and did horrible tests on me. The torture, the pain, the noise haunted me all the time...until I lost it. I killed all those stupid scientists, harming me and many others. So, they marked me as a true criminal, an outsider...My powers where the only thing I could trust then when I lost my mind...when I lost everything... I've...I've even killed ones that haven't done wrong. N.U.G then tried harder to get me in their grasp again...This game continued for years. I hated it. I hated being captured, and being locked in the dark, cold cell or worse...But this time, my escape was different. My powers felt truly awakened, and with my last bit of magic, I tried to transport myself to a dimension's forest, but I guess it went wrong, and I ended up in your world Zeren...which is also VERY bad..."

Zeren was staring at the message. He could not believe this! How can those assholes be so cruel...so heartless. By then, Zera was crying, her silver tears staining her shirt. Slowly, he let his arms wrap around her small figure and held her close to his body. She slowly stopped crying at the sudden action, and lifted her head to look at him.

"Zera, I am so sorry...But I don't care if you've killed others, I would've done the same. Please, you don't need to say more, your my friend and I WILL protect you from those fucking bastards." He said soothingly, stroking her hair. She slowly closed her eyes at the comforting contact, then broke out of the hug. She wiped her cheeks, and looked at the floor before writing again.

"I do appreciate your care for me, but I do not like it when people pity me. I can take care of myself. And as soon as I am well, I must leave this planet at once."

She set her eyes on him again, this time set with seriousness. Well, he'll do the same thing.

"Zera, listen up. Your not in a good shape to go anywhere. Plus, I can protect and help you end your N.U.G buddies, and...whatever else is bad on my planet to you." he said, his stare saying, "I'm doing this whether you like it or not." Zera glared at him for a moment, silver eyes hardening. But, she sighed in defeat.

"I am guessing that there is no way to change your mind. Your a brave mortal, but a foolish boy. You have no idea what they are capable of. But...I thank you for your thoughts. I might consider your idea...Now, about your planet. If I really am in Marnt, I'm in a serious situation. Since the N.U.G is a sister unit, they have family in all of the dimensions. And N.U.G's sister here is...G.U.N. I haven't learned or remember much about them, but I do know they are just as bad as N.U.G.

Zeren nodded in understanding. He had heard about G.U.N before...one of his friends said they've dealt with them in the past. Maybe he could talk to them at school. Oh, shit.. "I think there might be a delay for plan Zer, if I can call you that. But, I need to go to school, and I won't be home, and neither will Joey and Mum. I don't know who can watch and help you."

"No, I do not need to be watched, nor do I mind the new nickname...I have been called worse. But now, I have a question for you...What is school?"

She had a shy look on her face, but her eyes where still blooming with curiousness. _"She must of not experienced things like I have."_ He thought sadly.

"Well, school is a place where you learn. You start going there when your about 7,with kindergarten. You keep moving up until you reach high school, which ends at 12th grade. Then, there's a choice you must make. You can continue and go to collage or,end your career there...But, I call it the place that is boring and makes you miss all the fun stuff." He earned a smile out of her with his last sentences.

"So...you learn new things? Then take all the knowledge you know down the path towards your future?"

_"It is just amazing how innocent and curious she is. I guess she might even be called pure...even if she was committing crimes far beyond my world."_ he thought.

"Umm, Zera...have you...not experienced school?" He asked her quietly. That might of been too personal to ask, for she had lowered her head with eye contact from him. He stepped on the wrong branch. But, he heard a short scoff come out of her as she was writing.

" I do not actually know...most of my early memories of life have been erased. I could only learn from hearing, what I have seen, and from others...I still don't understand most of life, for I haven't really been free...to do anything normal ever. But, maybe I will understand all soon..."

"Soo...you don't remember anything? Friends? Family?" Ok, that just came out without him thinking. He quickly covered his mouth with regret. He fell off the tree, he just knew it. He glanced at her. Her eyes...full of sadness.

_"Ladies and gentlemen this year's biggest heartbreaking emotionless idiot award goes to Zeren, AGAIN! Is there no stopping him folks?" _That went off in his head in complete guilt. Why would he say that?! She probably didn't know. She gently tapped his shoulder as she handed him the notebook.

"No...I don't remember everything. And perhaps it is a good thing. Most of my powers are based on my emotions. I will not know what would happen again if I knew about them, and then they are all gone... Besides, I don't need friends. I do not trust or bond so easily. I mean, I'm still deciding with you. But, let us not talk about this, let us talk about our plan."

He blushed for seeing that she wasn't mad at him at his stupidity. But she was right, they needed to look upon the future, and stop flying in the unmentionable past.

"Well, we can start our search soon. I think I have another idea. I just hope we can-"

**_ ~Grumble~_**

That noise silenced Zeren. He looked down at Zera, who had on a sly smile, blushing lightly.

"I guess I'm hungry. I haven't eaten...in awhile. I need some substance to control my stomach. What do you have that I can eat?"

Zeren dramatically turned his head at the door that lead to the kitchen. He had gotten a D- in his cooking class. Blew up too many of the school's equipment. How could that even be possible? He still wasn't sure now. But, he couldn't fail Zera, not now, not ever. He looked down at her eager hungry face and gave her a nod.

"Don't worry Zer, I will try to make it good for you. Just relax and it will be ready soon." He told her as he went towards the kitchen. Upon entering, he tapped on the fridge. What can he make for Zera that won't kill her, or make her throw up? He wanted to impress her, make her trust him.

"Ok, I can make eggs and toast. That's Mum's food in case me or Joey are sick. And, since she is our patient and guest, it fits." he mumbled, getting out the eggs from the fridge. He placed the container of eggs next to the stove, then got the butter. He then put two slices of bread in the toaster and started the timer. "Ok, toast is toasting, piece of pie. Now." He glanced at the stove, "time for the eggs."

Carefully, he got a knife out, cut out a piece of butter, and got out the pan. He placed the cut butter in it. He looked at the stove's control. Of course, he pushed the on button. Now, the setting. To be Low, Medium, or High. THAT was the question. High might cause a fire, and low didn't make sense. So, medium wins it. He turned the dial on medium, and watched the sparks of fire appear. The butter slowly began to melt, as he smoothed it all out in his pan. Now, for the tricky part. He opened the container and took out 2 eggs. He carefully cracked them, letting the yolk fall into the pan, and tossed away the eggs shells.

"Hope she likes then like this." He cheered himself up, already imagining the look on her face when he would bring it to her. He blushed also at his thoughts.

~Zeren's (Sad) Imagination World~

"Here you go Zer, eggs and toast, done perfectly by yours truly." He winked at her as he handed her the plate of food. She made a cute little giggle as she began to eat. She smiled.

"So, does it fit your liking, M'Lady?" Zeren asked. Zera nodded excitedly at him, bangs bobbing back & forth at the motion.

"It's amazing Zeren,I love it, thank you." she said sweetly, looking up at him. He smiled, looking down at her beautiful face. She blushed a little. He slowly leaned in closer towards her face, she also carrying out the motion. She glanced at his mouth closing in on hers, then looked up at him.

"Oh, Zeren... Let's not do this here, your family could walk in on us..." Zera said shyly, her face heating up even more. Zeren could only chuckle at his lover's cuteness. He placed a finger under her chin, letting it have their eyes meet.

"I don't think that's the problem. Are you scared? This is only the couch, & if you don't want to start here..." He said, letting his voice drip into Zera's ears. He could almost feel her tingle going through the body he loved so much. She was even beginning to squirm.

"Z-Zeren..." She said, her soft voice only sounding more tempting to him. He smiled.

"Oh, my little Zera..." He cooed her, stroking his finger gently against her silky lips. She finally looked at him again, with happy, glowing eyes.

"Zeren, I know I don't trust people, but with you, I...I think I l-"

~End of Zeren's (Sad) Imagination World~

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!

"She what, she WHAT!?" he mumbled dreamily, the sudden beeping breaking him out of his day dream. His face was warm not only because of his blushing & ''small'' nosebleed. He sniffed the air for a moment. Oh shit, this isn't good...

He was too absorbed in his fantasy, he let the eggs burn. Smoke was traveling everywhere. He wiped the bloody trickling from his nose, & took fast action. He quickly escaped the smoking kitchen through the door, coughing a bit, though the smoke followed him out as well. Zera looked up quickly at his frightening entrance, her eyes welling up with concern and worry. He walked over towards her, petting her head to calm her down.

"Are you okay Zeren? What's going on? I dislike these alarm sounds, they sound too much like N.U.G...Are we in trouble?" He gave her a look at her message, then glanced over at the ceiling. Smoke was flowing towards the smoke detector. Crap, not a good morning.

"Don't worry Zer, your questions will be answered in about say and..."

The smoke detector caught the smoke, and beeped like a madman. The system activated itself, and water began to fall from the ceiling. The effect spread everywhere, including upstairs. And that means..

"ZZZEEERRRREEEEEENNNNNN!" his older sibling and his mother screamed. He grinned mischeviously, but sweat dropped as well,knowing he was dead.

"Yeah Zera, we are in some trouble." he chuckled that out, his grin turned into a nervous one. He looked down at Zera and smiled at what he saw.

Zera was smiling a bit, her eyes closed, enjoying the small drops of water connecting on her face and body. Zeren smiled more. Seeing her smile like that made himself happy. Then, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Shit, again, worst morning yet.

"**ZEREN, CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO ME WHY ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING, & WHY THE HELL ARE WE ALL GETTING SPRINKLED WITH WATER?!"** Jackie was even louder than the alarms, which was quite frightening. At least the sprinklers and sirens stopped. His mother was tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for her son to answer.

"Well, I needed to make **_SOMETHING_** to eat." He shot back at her. They both knew he wasn't really trying to be rude, but that was the only weird way he could calm her down. Joey, on the other hand, was far from that.

"RUNT, you KNOW your not suppose to cook anything besides toast and cereal with Mum present here to help." He said in an annoyed tone. Usually, Joey's voice was only at a soft, medium husky tone. But when he's pissed or annoyed, it was more like an angry bull.

"I know that hothead, its just that I needed to make food quickly ok?" he said honestly, looking his brother dead in the face. Jackie saw the glare fest, and got in between them before something broke out.

"I understand that hun, but were you really that hungry to burn..." She sniffed the air. Her eyes started to water, and she coughed for a moment before she spoke again. "Well, whatever you were trying to cook up." Zeren blushed not only in anger,but embarrassment. He didn't want them knowing he was cooking to impress Zera. He already gets teased by Joey with anything.

"N-no, because our little friend was starving." He mumbled out at them, glancing downwards. They both gave him looks like he was crazy and didn't know what he was talking about until a small sneeze makes everyone turn towards the couch. Zera shyly waved her hand at the damp family before her. Joey started to grin wildly.

"Well, hello there Cutie, I'm-"

"Shut your mouth Joey, her name isn't Smokey or Cutie...It's Zera." Zeren said, nudging Joey in the ribs. "Besides, I believe I got dibs on her anyway." He whispered to him, since their mother hates it when they fight, especially over girls. Not her best subject with them. Jackie looked at Zera and smiled, walking to the couch.

"Hello Zera, I am , but please, call me Jackie." She said in a gentle tone. Zera nodded, observing the female echidna. She was short compared to her sons, but still a reasonable size for her age. Her fur was orange, not exactly as bright as Zeren's, but it was like it. She had light blue eyes, that reflected kindness. She was very skinny, as if she was still a teenager. Yet, she looked more like she was in her late 30's,early 40's. Her dreadlocks were short as well.

"And **_I'M_** Joey, pleased to meet you Zera." He said, popping beside her quickly. She glanced at him, wondering how in the world did he get there so fast. She nodded with feeling of discomfort as she watched him.

He had red fur, unlike Jackie and Zeren. Maybe the oldest gets a different color than all of off the off spring. "_He must have taken after his father..." _She thought to herself. His dreadlocks were longest out of all of them. Which meant the muscle in there must be strong. He had red eyes, but was there was this, other color hidden in them that she couldn't name. But, she still liked it. As everyone was staring at each other, Zera's stomach rumbled again. She looked down, her cheeks gaining color instantly. Joey sighed dreamily.

"Aww~, she's hungry. Jackie, hurry and make her something." Instantly a hand came upon Joey's head, leaving a small swelling bump. He yelped as he fell over on the floor.

"DON'T call me Jackie, Joey, only Zera may. Remember, I AM your mother, and should be treated as such." She grumbled at the fallen echidna while she headed into the kitchen. Zera stared for a moment, but cracked a small smile.

_ "I find this group quite interesting...so this how a family acts. They can be mean towards each other, but they still show love. It must be nice to be a family..."_ She thought sadly, placing her hands together. She glanced at the two brothers teasing each other. Another faint smile pasted her lips. It looked like fun having another sibling around. She quickly shook her head of these disturbing thoughts.

"**_NO, no, don't get too attached to them. Remember, trust no one. You can't stay here or you WILL get soft...you want the problem to happen again?" _**A voice in her head shouted. She clamped her hands against her skull, pain coming back. She thought that voice left her...she was hopelessly wrong. She wanted it out, NOW. The voice smirked at her sad attempt to ignore it.

"**_Child, MUST you be so difficult? Fine, so be it. I'll MAKE you remember." _**It said in a devious tone. Zera squeezed her eyes tightly. There was so much pressure on head, it felt like it was going to crack. Then, the images appeared.

_Gutted bodies...of hedgehogs, echidnas, foxed, rabbits, any anthroporph...lying dead in their own pool of blood. Then, small weeping was heard. It was small hedgehog girl, no more than 8 years old crying in between the heap of bodies. _

_ But, SHE was holding the knife._

_ "Ch-Chuckie...R-Rella, everyone. for-forgive me..." the helpless child cried out. Yes,these were her team-mates, her friends...people she actually, now called family...Everyone of them...gone from her life forever now. Her small tears of silver mixed in with the red on the ground._

_ "I...I never m-meant for this to ha-happen...I'm so so-sorry." She chocked towards the heavens, hoping they have heard her and will take her forgiveness. She slowly stood up, walking around the dead bodies, not caring if she stepped in their blood. With one last look over her shoulder at her last hope of a good life, she ran. Ran like she never ran before. Her small feet leaving blood stained prints trailing behind her. She kept going, until she slipped and fell, her knife flying out of her hand. She scurried after it, trying to reach for it._

_ But, the foot beat her to it._

_ "You see what you can do now? You have an extraordinary gift. Join us, my child, and no more suffering will come upon you." A soft feminine voice said to her, a hand picking up the bloody knife. The girl looked up at the woman's face, tears still in her eyes._

_"Join us, Zera, join us...Zera, Zera, ZERA, ZERA..-"_

"ZERA,WAKE UP!" Zeren's voice broke her out of her horrid nightmare of days gone by. She looked up at Zeren and Joey, both having worried looks on their faces. She then grabbed the notebook again, and wrote down something.

I am sorry if I was not fully paying attention...I was lost, but I'm back. Is food available now?

Joey nodded at her. "C'mon Cut- er, I mean Zera, me and the runt will help you get to the table." With a small nod from their guest, she allowed the boys to put their arms around her waist, and placed her arms around their shoulders. They headed for the table.

_ "Now this..." she thought." Is peace to me, and I won't lose it anytime soon...or ever again..."_

* * *

_ There ya go, a 26 page chapter! As much as I have this story written out [Just starting chapter 11], I'm gonna time this. I'll post each chapter every week now. So, until next time mates! ~** Ari**_


	4. Chapter 4: Oppertunity Comes Knocking

**A/N: Ok, this one is going to be a half & half chapter. (BTW, there are a few more chapters like this before the big change. I think maybe 1 or 2. I don't remember that much, I'm WAAY ahead in my writing for this story). Also, I need to say this. Yes, Sonic & company will appear in the next chapter, sorry for making you wait a bit. I'm still trying to get use to things here, so bare with me on this chapter if it isn't to your liking, I completed the reversion of this at almost 4 in the morning! (Yeah, I don't go to sleep until it's PERFECT) So erm, enjoy the chapter,~nyaa!**

**Also: All characters in this chapter & the past chapters belong to me, they are all my OC's. So, LOVE THEM! **

***Important Flash*: Anthroporph= Is the name given to the kind like Sonic & company. (Not actually sure if it's spelled right, but that is my best guess).**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Opportunity Comes Knocking**

"Sir, SIR, there is a message for you in the Communication Towers." Young Captain Ivy said as she ran up to the Commander of G.U.N. She gave a quick salute as well, for she almost forgot to do so. He glanced down at the young woman, and took a sip of his coffee.

"Captain, shouldn't you be able to take my messages for me? Especially when I'm doing important business." He told her in a cold voice. But, that was a complete lie. All he was doing right now was drinking coffee while watching the soldiers train. Ivy tensed her back a bit. Ever since she joined this organization, everyone has been giving her all the assignments, paper work, and communication messages. She's only been on real, action missions 9 times here. She was close to cracking and attacking everyone, starting with the Commander.

_"But...I need this job. Even though it's only been a month and a__ half__ since I became the captain. I just need to suck it up, and deal with this crap."_ She thought to herself, slowly calming down. Since of her "small" anger problem, it took her a minute before she could address the Commander.

"I tried Sir, but...she insisted that she speak with you directly." She stated. The cup of Joe just barely met his lips before he glanced at her again.

"She? Who is this she?" He asked before he let more of the hot sweet liquid enter his parted lips. Ivy sighed, knowing what reaction would take place.

"She Sir...The High Commander on Veron." Yup, that certainly got his attention! His eyes widened, and he spurred his coffee on the window he was looking out of. It sloppily slimed down the window and onto the floor. Ivy looked at it, then studied the Commander and tried not to laugh or crack a smile. He was clutching his chest after his dramatic spit-take. He was breathing heavily, his bloodshot eyes alive with shock.

_"Well played Sir, well played..."_ She giggled in her head. Finally, he steadied himself, as if pretending that little drama queen scene never happened.

"Um, well, alright then. Thank you Captain. Please, clean this all up by the time I get back." He ordered as he turned to her. She nodded slightly and gave him a short salute. He did the same and walked off to the Communication Towers. As soon as he was out of sight, (and hopefully out of hearing), she let out her utter anger.

"Oh, this man is so freaking annoying! I'm a captain, not a maid, especially not his personal maid to clean up all his messes and fails! He needs to learn to give me some respect, that jack!" She hollered. As you can tell, he is not on her "most liked" list. **AT ALL.** She grumbled some more phrases and words that thankfully anyone or anything didn't catch. She headed off to get some supplies to clean up the Commander's "coffee spill."

"_I just wish something would happen so that man won't be around anymore."_ She thought sadly. Yet, that could never happen. The man is always here, and could never get injured. Not even when fighting with someone. "_He's just too strong..."_ But one day, maybe just one lucky day, she'll over throw him, and take over this entire organization. She sighed deeply at her wild dream that would never come true. She looked at a window that showed the plane docks, and in the back of them was the Communication Towers.

"Whatever she's telling you Sir, I hope it can end up in the right way for the rest of us." She mumbled to herself as she got the spray bottle and some wipes. She had no idea how well her statement and small dream could be.

"This better be good, this...DEMON woman delaying my work." He mumbled quietly. Ever since he met her, he knew that he and her will never see eye to eye. Yet, the council chose her to be the High Commander. Her ideas were scandal, harsh, and very complicated.

"_Plus, she's one of...those things." _He thought with distaste. He didn't like working with her not only because she was insane, but because she was one of them, those damn anthroporphs. He called them hybrids, despite their true name, he just saw them as threats. He didn't care what the hell they are, as long as they weren't human, they were his enemy. Wolves, or **ANY **animal shouldn't talk and dress like humans let alone have jobs that could get them closer to humans. That was the last thing he wanted, but it had already happened, one of his greatest nightmares come true. And that only ruined his own plans. The very thought made him want to hurl chunks in his coffee. But, he wouldn't think about it. He'll just get this yelling fit over with, and get back to hopefully a peaceful morning. He finally reached the Communication Towers and signed in his I.D. card. Once inside, he saw the huge projection of the High Commander herself in the middle of the entire room. And she still looked as terrifying as she was the last time he talked to her.

They both gave the proper salute to each other since they where both commanders in their dimensions.

"Hello Jade, looking ever more beautiful than the last time we spoke." He said, trying to get this awkward moment over with. She had a small glare at him, then snarled.

"Don't try to butter me up like popcorn. I know your true feelings towards me, and trust me, mine are the same for you." She stated, a smirk appearing on her face. He stiffened a bit. "_Well, glad we're on the same page."_ He thought coldly. There was another moment of awkward silence, knowing the foul hatred in the air won't go away anytime soon. Finally, he cleared his throat, and began this sudden debrief she forced him into.

"You called me up here for a reason Jade...I pray to God that it was a very important one." He added silently by drinking some coffee to drown out the last sentence so she [hopefully] didn't here it. Her eyes grew hard for awhile, then soften a little as she began to speak.

"I'm a wolf, Commander Ron, I'm **especially **not deaf or an idiot, so I completely heard what you said. But yes, this IS a very important debrief...Do you remember my past project, # 203?" She asked. He let his eyes look up at the projection that stood before him. He kept drinking to avoid answering. She nodded in a teasing way.

"I see, you **do** remember her then, after that one fatal encounter you had with her. Well, as you know and I'm ashamed to say, that some of my captains and men have failed to capture her...though this is still good for us." She added slyly, grinning only the slightest. He nodded again, not really wanting to speak. He noticed his coffee saver was getting lower and lower. "**_SHIT, no , no, NO!_**" He cried in his head. Now, knowing the harsh price, he stopped drinking. "_I'll only drink when the questions are too high to answer_. " He planned. Saving is always better than wasting he always said. That rule never proved him wrong.

"And now, the plan is processing well. Just last night, she finally cracked, and her true powers are awakening. She teleported!" Her tone actually got sweeter, almost exited and childish while she explained this. He didn't know if he should be freaked out...or actually pleased. He continued to let her rant on.

"So this is where you come in...She's in your dimension Ron...she's on your planet." Her voice had returned to the soft cold chill as it was before. **Now** he was very surprised at this. Why would she come here? She hated his guts just as much as her and him hated Jade's guts after he had his first encounter with 203. Not the best one, he almost lost an eye and his leg to her. He shook his head clear from those memories that he swore could of been nightmares. **His**nightmares.

"But, how can that be? We could have detected her presence as soon as she set foot here! This doesn't make sense." He explained. She only nodded in small sympathy, both knowing it won't last.

"Well, believe it. She is there, and by the time she'll discover where she is, she'll come for **you** next. But not too quickly I believe, for we gave her quite the beat down before she disappeared. She's **weak**. She might be resting until she'll be at full power. You **MUST**take action on this opportunity. Track her, hunt her down, I don't care! Capture her, and bring her to me. **ALIVE**!" She added quickly. You could see a small smile grow on Commander Ron's face. He chuckled a bit.

"Aww~,now what is this? The big scary wolf is just a big puppy dog when it comes to-"

"**SHUT UP YOU MORON!**" She yelled at him, a terrifying growl rumbling in Jade's throat. He took a step back, paling in fear. He knew it was a stupid idea to tease her like this, but he couldn't help it. Besides, she made him come here when he was working, she deserved it since he knew she cared. But, he bows in apology towards his foolish actions. She nodded at this, and sighed quickly.

"I only care that she will be alive so she can do my bidding. And she knows this, she can not disobey me.." She said softly. He just drank the last few sips of his no longer hot coffee, knowing saying anything could result in something else. She glanced away for a moment, then cleared her throat and turned to Ron.

"Well, this is all I can debrief you about. I will try to get more information to help in your search, but you need to do this on your own. Remember your position, this is very serious. The whole organization is counting on you on your mission. Do NOT displease me by failing. Opportunities don't always come knocking at your front door like this. Not after the last time..." She said before she signed off. He clenched his hand into a fist in brutal anger at her last statement. How **DARE** she bring up his last failure with the last project!

"Sure, you let one of them save the Earth, then have ourselves banned from it, and be forced to live on its cloned planet. She doesn't have to hold that on me for the past 5 years..." He uttered in a depressed tone. Why did something like that happen to him, he wasn't so sure. He began to walk out of the Communication Towers, but slowly turned to look at the door.

"**This**time Jade, this time I can surpass you, and be a better commander than you! One that wouldn't attack kids, no matter what species...or who they belong to... Or in simple words, won't be so damn crazy." He said as he left.

"Come on Zera, easy now, we don't want you falling down." Zeren said as he and Joey guided her to the table. As they set her down gently on the cushioned chair, Zera's eyes got big as saucers. There was a mountain of food on the table. Eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes, omelets, sausages, any kind of food you could image, and MORE! Jackie smiled as Zera kept looking at the food. Her stomach grumbled even louder, waiting impatiently for some substance to be consumed already. There was even a small trail of drool sliding off of her tongue, out of her mouth, and onto the placemat.

"Come on kids, eat up!" Jackie said cheerfully. Joey and Zeren didn't need to be told twice. They grabbed any plate the other hadn't grabbed yet, & started to stuff their faces as if they havn't eaten all year. Jackie calmly ate her oatmeal as her two sons rabidly ate like starving pigs, live she was use to this, which she probably was. It was a complete mess. Zera only sighed, seeing as the food was for Ms. Jackie's animal children.

"_Maybe she made me what I usually ate...tasteless glop..."_ She thought dully. She began to inspect the table for the pale food she always ate. Joey, finally taking a break to breathe after stuffing his face with incredible food, looked up at Zera.

"Hey Cutie, you gonna eat yet? Better hurry, Zeren is a complete slob with eating. He'll eat the whole table before you could even get anything, crumbs and all!" He said with a smile. Well, tried to anyway. His mouth was full of fluffy waffles and crunchy bacon.

"_Like he's one to talk about having civil table manners." _She thought nervously after seeing that nerve wrecking site.. She simply nodded at him, while Zeren sent a glare at him.

"Like your one to talk Joe! You look like a chipmunk with an eating disorder!" Zeren exclaimed. Jackie started to laugh at this, no longer containing her amusement. Zeren chuckled in with his mother. Even Joey loosened up and scoffed happily. Zera actually giggled silently. Soon enough, happy noises began to fill the house. Then when it all quieted down, Zeren looked at Zera.

"By the way, what were you looking for?" He asked. She then looked around, seeing she couldn't find her notebook. Zeren, seeing the problem, rushed back out the kitchen door, into the living room, grabbed the notebook, and came back. He handed her her things. With a nod of approval, she began to write.

" Since your mother made all of this food for you and your brother, I didn't want to interfere. I could always have my tasteless crap...I'm use to it, so it is fine."

But, the pained sounds of her stomach said otherwise. It wanted what was left of the glorious feast before it, ANYTHING really that had taste! It was like a starving dog on the verge of death by hunger just begging for even a morsel of food. Just anything with flavor...

"I don't think so young lady." Jackie perked up at Zera. Everyone looked at Jackie who was having her eyes dead set on Zera.

"You are our guest here. What's ours is yours as well. So don't think you can't have anything. We're treating you, you don't have to think about us...Besides, go and eat the food, I want to at least have a clean spot on the table after every meal." Jackie added, a smile on her face. The boys blushed a little, knowing that she was talking about their pig messes on the table all the time. Zera giggled at their faces, and began to write.

" Thank you Ms. Groter...I mean, Jackie. You and your sons are very generous and sweet. But, it is not really needed, I will only take a small portion."

Jackie frowned, but loaded up a plate with a mountain of food, and slid it in front of Zera. "You may say that dear, but your stomach objects to that kind of talk & abuse your giving it. Let it eat all it wants!" She stated with a smirk. Sure enough, as soon as Zera made eye contact with the food in front of her, her stomach literally cried and begged for it to be consumed. Zera's cheeks glowed, then she glanced down at the fork. She slowly let her hands take it in their grasp, and looked at Jackie. She only smiled at her, a look stating 'go on'. With a final look, Zera stabbed her fork into a waffle and lifted it up to her small nose. It practically melted at the scent of sweet food, a thing that it never got to smelt in so many years. The first time she ever got to in better words. As soon as she saw it wasn't anything suspicious or dangerous or had anything hazardous in it that she could smell, she let the waffle enter her moist cavern. Everyone was staring at her with wide eyes as she began to chew. It was completely silent until a small cute giggle filled the room. Everyone looked at where the joyous sound was coming from.

Zera was smiling after she swallowed her first bite of waffle. Joey leaned over and sighed dreamily at her, glad she was enjoying it. Zeren was smiling as well, knowing that she was joyful to have real food instead of whatever crap she was always eating before.

In no more than 2 minutes, everything on that single plate was gone. Crumbs and all: licked clean.

"That was splendid, Ms. Jackie! This was a most wonderful meal I have ever tasted since I came here, or ever since I ate actual food!"

Even in her writing you can tell how happy she was. Jackie smiled softly at the message and started to collect some of the dirty plates on the table.

"Your welcome sweetheart. I'm glad you liked it. Now, let Joey here take you back to the couch. He'll be very gentle, won't you Joey?" Jackie sent a small threatening glare at her son. He nodded quickly, then looked at Zera, bright eyes shining a bit.

"Don't worry Mum, gentle is my middle name." He said slyly. He gently picked up Zera in his arms. She didn't protest at this kind of handling, but her face showed some uncomfortable features. Zeren didn't like that at all. He was glaring daggers at his older brother for holding Zera like that. He was just about to head after them, until his mother's voice stopped him.

"Zeren, come here. Help me clean the dishes...and we need to talk." She added softly as she placed some of the dishes in the sink. Here's a note about Jackie: When she says to do something with her, you do it. Even if she has a nice sweet voice, it's just a sign of warning that she'll get serious soon & even start attacking you if you draw her patience. Zeren knew it was wise to do as she said. With one last glance at the door that led to his brother and Zera, he trudged slowly next to his Mom.

She handed him the dish towel. Seeing his job as a drying boy again, he just continued to stand next to her. It was a quiet moment, only the small clatter of dishes being cleaned was the only sound heard besides the sounds of a car every now & then passing their house.

"_Hmph, I don't hear anything in the living room..."_ Zeren glanced where the living room was. "_What are they doing?"_ He thought to himself. He was becoming over whelmed with worry...and even though he won't admit this, but also raging jealousy.

"Zeren...I want to talk to you about Zera." Jackie said, breaking Zeren out of the many thoughts he was thinking about what those two where doing in his absence. He glanced at his mother from the corner of his eye.

"Sure, what about her? Other than how her poor stomach can handle your cooking?" He said in a joking way to lighten the atmosphere. She let out a scoff, but her face remained plain and unemotional. Truly unreadable, & she was usually an open book, but still tricky about it!

"Well Zeren...what do you **really** know about her? Besides that you and your brother are both head over heals into her." She said, _**now**_ letting a smile appearing on her face. His eyes widened a bit as he felt his face heat up fast. It's never cool to have your parents find out your crushing on someone. Wither it was true or not with Zeren is the real question at hand to _**his**_parent.

"N-no, I know Joey does, but I don't. I just care about her and want to protect her..." He said slyly. She grinned at him. "_Oh Zeren, how adorable you are...these are just the first signs of love. Your rejecting it, first sign. No matter what you say, your honestly, truly are in love.. Your first true love. In time, you will, you __WILL_ . _You'll crack soon._" Then she set a face at him.

"Protect her? Protect her from who and or **_whom_**?" She asked, already her voice dropping its nice tone fast. She already attached to her in a motherly way. He expected her to like Zera (well, who wouldn't)? He just wasn't expecting this reaction _this_ soon from Jackie.

"Well...it's best if you read about it for yourself." He dropped the dish towel on the counter as he headed to the table. He found Zera's notebook, and quickly laid it next to his mother. She dried her hands as she looked at it, then at Zeren with the same suspicion. "Just...read it, and you will understand..." He said, starting to dry off most the dishes that Jackie had cleaned. She gave him one last look, opened up the notebook, and began to read it.

By the time Zeren had finished drying **AND** putting the dishes away, Jackie was a statue. A statue with tears flowing rapidly from her eyes. She slowly closed the notebook and sat in her chair at the table.

"Zeren...that is too...oh my goodness, I just can't believe it...That poor little angel." She sobbed out, her face almost stained with tears. Zeren comforted his guardian by wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her head gently, trying to soothe her. Her small dreadlock bun was coming undone, a few locks slipping out and bounced around her face.

"It's okay Mum, I wanted to cry too...Look, I know she may be an insane criminal, but we gotta help her. If we could end the G.U.N here, then we can maybe stop her bad guys as well. I don't want our world ending up like hers with N.U.G, or having G.U.N still alive here." He said, stroking her head now. She didn't do anything for a moment, then finally nodded her head firmly. They both stood up, and headed for the living room to confront Zera and Joey. Upon entering, they both sweat dropped at the scene around them.

Zera had Joey in a fatal headlock, though she had her legs around his waist. He only had a small pillow protecting him from letting her fangs sink into his shoulder blade. Zera's ears twitched as she heard the kitchen door swing open letting Zeren and Jackie enter the room. Zera slowly released her hold on Joey, and stared blankly at everyone. No one dared to move. No one wanted to move. It was mostly the shock & the fear that made them held their ground. Finally, Zera slowly walked to the stairs, and went into the bathroom. The door echoed as it was slammed shut. Everyone cringed at the harsh action, then set angry eyes at Joey.

**"WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED!?" **Zeren yelled at his twitching brother. Joey calmly laid himself on the couch. Jackie placed her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation from him.

"Well...I had placed Cutie down on the couch, and I sat down next to her. We didn't do much, I asked her some simple yes and no questions..."

~Flashback of 5 minutes earlier~

_"So Cutie, did you enjoy Mum's cooking?"_

_Zera nods her head happily._

_"Are you comfortable? You want me to fix anything?"_

_ A polite shake of her head from side to side was her response._

_ "Oh, well, look here, there's some fluff on your pants. I'll get it for you." Joey said politely, slowly inching closer to his female guest. He was just about to get it when he fell on a soft spot on the couch, and landed face first into Zera's lap. She instantly squealed, and jumped over Joey, letting his face fall in the cushions. She leaned over him, seeing she didn't hurt him. Suddenly, she felt a hand crawl on her arm. She yipped, and struggled backwards. It was only Joey's hand. He stood up, chuckling a bit at her reaction. She blushed furiously, her eyes suddenly turned to a darker color. The silver beauty turned to a deadly yellow. He stopped, feeling his sweat drop a little. Then, she lunged at him._

~End of Flashback~

"So, that's how you guys found us. I don't know if she was being a vampire, or giving me a hickey. Cuz boy howdy did I hear a purr coming from that sweet body of hers!" He said, a dirty smile appearing on his lips. Jackie stared at him, her eyes having small disgust in them, then headed up the stairs to confront Zera. Zeren sat next to his brother, trying to remain calm & resist the urge to punch him. After the moment of silence that filled the room, until Joey uttered out.

"So Zeren, do you think she's more into me now?" He asked cheekily. Zeren's vain pulsed a bit on his forehead. He could no longer contain his flat out anger (and jealously) & lashed out at his older sibling.

~SLAP!~

And even to this very day, everyone agrees that Joey deserved to be slapped at that time.

* * *

**Hurray! Chapter 4 posted! And this one was only 18 pagez! Stupid question time!:**

**1) Will Zera be okay, or will she never leave the bathroom?**

**2) Will Ron be able to please Jade?**

**3) Will Ivy ever get her dream?**

**4) Why am I asking questions that you guyz probably won't care to ask but I'm saying anyway?**

** Find out in the next chapter!**

**A/N: If you do NOT like my story, or my characters, then please don't leave a bad review. I only want GOOD reviews from the good folks here!**

** ~Please review, and I'll see you next week!~**


	5. Chapter 5: A Real Good Surprise

**A/N: TA-DA! Chapter 5 is here! I would like to thank the viewerz that have taken an interest in my story this far! I will also thank my main reviewerz, Blury-Star-on-Fire & KiraBlacklily00. Without your words & support I don't think I could keep this up!**

** To KiraBlacklily00: Oh thank you for saying so, I try! But it's okay if you don't know so much about Sonic, just stick around with this story & you could learn more. The fun is just beginning! ;3 (It wouldn't let me respond to your review, so I'm going with the 2nd best thing. Hopefully you can see this if you get this far in the story).**

** Now I think I've stalled you from reading long enough. Enjoy the chapter, nyaa~! ;3**

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Real Good Surprise**

"Zera, honey, are you okay?" Jackie asked as she knocked gently on the bathroom door. There was no response at first but then a rough voice answered.

"No, Ms. Jackie, I am not ok...I do not wish to worry you with my problems, so please, leave me alone for awhile..." Zera's voice was horse and hard. Her throat was still healing, so her voice will only sound like this until tomorrow. Jackie sighed, but smiled anyway. She sure is a hard stick in the mud.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I can't do that. As a woman of my word, I said I would take care of you. And right now, you don't seem well. Besides, I'm finding you like my own daughter right now... I never had a girl. Especially after having those two, I've wanted a girl more than anything."

_ "But what my sons are thinking, you just might as well be my daughter-in-law." _Jackie thought deviously, licking her lips in happy thoughts about Zera being with one of her boys. She's guessing she'll be stuck with Zeren. She'll have better luck than Jackie ever did. Zera let out a small smile, and slowly cracked the door open a bit.

"Fine, we may talk, just get in here." She said as she yanked Jackie into the bathroom. Zera locked the door, just in case one of the boys decided to break into their conversation or they really needed to use it but they would be locked out of it. Jackie calmly sat on the counter near the sink. Zera glanced at her, then sat down on the sill of the bathtub.

"Now, first things first. How are you feeling? I don't mean your emotions now, I mean as in your health." Jackie asked. Zera tilted her head for a moment. How was she feeling actually...

"Well, my throat is still scratchy and my body still stings if I move, but I'm ok with that. I'm use to pain. In fact, I have been in worse pain before." She said quietly, trying to smile. Jackie nodded slowly, actually understanding what she meant.

"That's good...Now, about what happened earlier." Jackie said, making eye contact with Zera. "_Wow, the kids were right, her eyes are really something else." _She thought as Zera's eyes shined at her. "Now dear, I know that you haven't had a very good life. Or, your still through hard times...But, that's understandable. You haven't been able to trust or have anyone to help you for a long time. You spent most of your life alone. But, that doesn't have to be anymore. We want to help you Zera, not be against you. We have complete faith in you, even after everything you've done. They trust you...I trust you. And we would like you to trust us." Jackie explained. Zera looked up at her with big eyes.

By then, Zera's eyes where all watery, but no tears could shed. Jackie only smiled at Zera's attempt to trying to be brave, but she knew she was going to crack open anytime now. Jackie held her arms towards Zera.

"Come on, just give me a hug." Jackie said sweetly, a loving smile on her face.

And Zera didn't hold back.

She almost flew into Jackie's open arms, crying softly. Jackie held her tighter as she felt Zera's warm tears fall on the back of her shirt. She didn't care. All she cared about was her sons, and this child in her care. "Just let it all out sweetie, let it out..." Jackie whispered in Zera's twitching ear. Zera continued to shed her silver tears, until she finally felt courage, and stopped crying. Jackie ended the embracing moment, and wiped away Zera's tears from her eyes. "You feeling better now?" She asked. Zera nodded weakly, happy that they respect her, but shamed that she cried more than once.

_"__This__, is a new form of weak for me."_ She thought miserably. Well, it won't happen again! She vowed she would never do this again for the rest of the time she would stay here, and the rest of her eternal life. She looked back up at Jackie.

"Um, Ms. Jackie? May we not speak of this to anyone? Not even to Joey or Zeren?" She asked her. Jackie smiled and nodded her head.

"Of course. This can be our little secret. The Girls' secret." Jackie winked jokingly, putting her finger to her lips at a silent notion. Zera nodded with approval.

"Now, on to a more important manner. How to deal with G.U.N. After reading your...description of G.U.N compared to your N.U.G, we need some help. I remember that Zeren has a friend at school that had problems with G.U.N." Jackie explained. Zera nodded as Jackie continued to talk, but her voice began to fade away, and her mind began to drift away on its own as she thought about the one subject that she's heard about.

_"School...this sounds like a good place to Jackie, but horror to Zeren? Why? What is the wonder about school?" _These thoughts kept whirling in her head like a hurricane just starting to form and head for land. She sighed, seeing that there was no way to figure out her suspicions. Well, at least in the easy category. In the extreme one however, she could find out. Of course, there were risks, & maybe a few fatalities, but it could all be worth it...right?

"Zera, may I ask you something?" Jackie said, her voice quiet voice breaking Zera out of her mind. Zera slowly turned her head to meet curious blue eyes. She nodded carefully.

"Well, I was wondering...how would you feel about having more people involved with all of this?" She asked her. Zera looked blankly at Jackie. **WAS SHE OUT OF HER BLEEDING MIND!? **She was **ALREADY** having a hard time having this family aboard on her plan, and life. She didn't want any **MORE**people getting involved, or hurt. But, her mouth spoke before her brain could even stop it.

"That is fine. Are they professionals?" She asked, praying that they would so hopefully less people could get hurt...or worse. Jackie had a sly smile on her face.

"Well, In my opinion, they're the best of the best. Everyone says its just knowledge and skill on them. But...I'll let you decide that all on your own. You'll be meeting them tomorrow, if I can get this work done by today." Jackie said, the concerning sly smile still remaining on her face. Zera glanced at her with great curiosity, but let it slide.

"_She told me to trust her, so I will."_ She though, trying to sound positive on this new (and hopefully better) chapter in her life. Jackie watched her with half-lidded eyes, then finally stood up.

"I guess we can leave the bathroom now. Hopefully-" She suddenly stopped in mid sentence. Zera stood up slowly, not liking her sudden pause. Jackie held up a hand, it stating for Zera to be still, and silent. Jackie slowly leaned against the door,listening...waiting. Zera's heart began to pound to pound hard like a hammer beating nails. Finally, Jackie gave a sudden quick kick to the door. Zera completely went blank.

_"She kicked...the door...WHY?!"_ She thought in pure confusion. That was, until there was a thud outside of the door. Was...there a spy out there? Jackie quickly opened the door, about to pounce until she saw who it was. She let out an annoyed sighed.

"Zeren, how many times have I told you not to spy on people?" She asked. "Heaven forbid you'll come home one day being carried by the cops saying you were spying on the neighbors. Like Mrs. Dickson across the street. You know how paranoid she gets about everything. As much as she is old, she's crazy." It's surprising when a parent needs to tell their child to not spy on people. That is something to be concerned about. Zeren blushed lightly with a goofy smile on his face. Jackie walked over her son and headed to her room, trying to see if she could take her plan into full action & still mumbling the problems 'poor old' Mrs. Dickson has. Zera hanged in the bathroom for a moment, then finally looked down at Zeren. It was a silent moment, their gazes locked on to each other like a fish hook stuck in a fish's mouth.

"So, you like spying on people when they're in the bathroom, or is this just with me?" She asked in a teasing tone. Zeren's face darkened more while he was getting up, trying to explain. She only smiled and patted his head. "Fine, we can play this game when the time is for the better...we'll see who is better." She said with a tease, but there was a hint of seriousness in her voice as she walked down the stairs. Zeren could only stare at her shadow casting down the stairs as she left.

"Who's...better?" He pondered. What exactly did she mean by that? He then chuckled nervously. "_Heh, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to go to school tomorrow. Maybe the gang can help me with this problem." "Wait, when do __**I**_have_ girl problems?" _He thought, but didn't think to hard on this. This, was a tomorrow situation. He had no idea how much more of a situation it would be.

"Zeren, Joey, wake up boys! It's time to go to school!" Jackie yelled up the stairs. Joey was the first one to bolt out of bed and ran into the bathroom.

"BATHROOM FIRST, CALLED IT!" Joey shouted as he slammed the bathroom door. Zeren, already knowing his older brother would be using first, just continued to rest in his bed. No rush, no biggie, as he always said. It's not like he would be missing the bus. He always walked with his friends anyway, since they all actually didn't live that far away from the school. So, the tired echidna continue to stay out of reality for as long as he could until he heard his older brother get out. _"Sure, __**now**____he gets out of the bathroom faster...Only giving me 10 minutes to relax...He's doing this on purpose." _Zeren though angrily. As you can see, Zeren is not a morning guy.

"Alright pewee...she's all yours." Joey said as he peered into Zeren's room. Joey was wearing his classic shirt that had a pair of sunglasses on it, & printed on the back were the words 'Too cool'. Zeren tried to ignore the older echidna, but he knew that fight couldn't be won. He stirred, then slowly lifted himself up. Zeren set a tired glare at him, and slowly moved out of bed. Joey moved out of his way, and headed downstairs for first dibs on breakfast. Zeren, when already entering into the bathroom, and already smelled the toilet problem he would force stupid Joey to do later. He sighed tiredly as he put toothpaste on his toothbrush and started brushing his teeth.

"Zeren, hurry up and get down here to eat some breakfast before your brother does!" Jackie yelled at him. He can already hear his brother slurping and gulping like a maniac. Zeren sighed, and spit into the sink, washed out his mouth, then washed his face. He quickly went back to his room, and changed into some new clothes he got a few days ago. A shirt with a burrito on it, with the words, "The Best', on the back. Granted, males on his planet don't really need to have clothes since they don't have things to hide like girls do. It was more of a choice they did (also because, well, clothes impress the ladies. Besides, out of all of his friends, him & his brother only wore clothes. But today was different. The guys had a tradition they did when they come back to school from a break, they wore clothes. They didn't understand it either, but it was okay in their book). He grabbed his backpack, and headed downstairs. He walked into the kitchen, and kissed his mom on the forehead when she was actually staying still from her morning rush.

"Good morning Mum, what is on the menu for breakfast?" He asked, placing himself at the table. Well, he couldn't tell what was his Mom's creations by looking at Joey's plate. It was mostly crumbs now. Joey could only shrug but had a sheepish look on his face as Zeren glared hard at him. That was their way of saying ''_Opps, my bad. I owe you one."_

"Well, since your running late, and your brother had no heart to leave anything for you, just take a pack of Pop-Tarts okay hun?" Jackie said, handing him a pack. He smiled as Jackie was rushing around cooking some other things, probably for work. Joey, was now placing his eyes on the pack in Zeren's hands, both eyes glowing with hunger.

"Hey bro, do you think we-"

"No." Zeren said stubbornly. Joey sighed cutely, trying to make his annoyed sibling feel some sympathy in his heart to share some Pop-Tarts. Zeren shook his head and opened up the small package. He broke off a piece, and handed it to his brother. Joey squealed like a little girl. A very happy little girl you could add.

"Thanks bro!" He said happily. He then walked behind his mother, and hugged her. "Bye Mom, take care of Cutie for me! Er, I mean, us!" He added quickly as he felt Zeren's cold, dead glare on his back. Joey went by Zeren swiftly in a flash, and was out the door. Truth be told, none of them have actually seen a silver eye or black ear of the mentioned hedgehog. Perhaps she went off somewhere or went exploring around their house when they weren't watching her. Zeren rolled his eyes anyway.

_"More like you should take care of yourself! Watch your back bro!" _Zeren thought harshly. As you can tell, Zeren isn't in his happy element, if he ever had one in the morning. He gave his mom a quick hug and kissed on her cheek.

"Cyya Mom, don't work too hard. And stay safe with Zera." He whispered quietly as he headed after his brother. Jackie could only smile at the door where her sons left.

"_I will, but you guys will be doing that first..."_ She thought deviously. "_So, good luck my boys...you'll need it."_

"HEY ZEREN! THERE YOU ARE SLOWPOKE!" Joey called out to him at the usual spot their friends and themselves meet up. Even though Joey is the oldest, (though there is some proof that he is only the second oldest), he liked hanging out with them.

"Yeah, your usually faster than this, man." His friend, Sonic said. Yes, **_the_** Sonic the Hedgehog. The hero blue boy was wearing a dark blue shirt, his blue jeans, & of course his classic white gloves plus his red & white sneakers. As much as he was Earth's hero, he knew that ever since G.U.N was banned here, and Eggman suspiciously also came here, something was totally up. But, due to laws (And an earlier freak accident that the whole Sonic gang got into when the broke into Eggman's timebar and everyone gained back some years), Sonic and the others are forced to go to school. But, the 17 year old didn't mind _that_ much, he's just the school's pure hearted hero as much as he was a student. And being the Blue Speed Demon, his gym class grades are, well, still running up high! Zeren cracked open a grin.

"May I forget, Mr. Speedy, that walking let's you take in the scenery around yourself!" He smirked. Sonic was just smirking back at him.

"So what Mr. Slow-Mo? I love everything fast! Speed is my love, so I won't change for her!" He said, a confident smirk on his face. Zeren was just about to make a smart remark back, but was interrupted by a squeal. Suddenly, a fast pink form glomped onto Sonic from behind. Even though he said he never did it, but he screamed in fear.

"And don't forget me Sonic, you love me just as much!" The happy girly voice said. And it belonged to none other than freshman girl, Amy Rose. Also know as Sonic's number 1 stalker fan girl. Well, in the olden days you can say. For some reason, the timebar they broke into, had different effects on everyone for some reason, despite their age. Amy, was now a bit taller, had longer dark pink quills, she was growing small yet firm breasts, and was actually more mature than usual. She isn't _WAAY_ heals for Sonic as she was before, but she still wanted to be an option to Sonic when that time would come. If anyone knew a thing or two about Sonic's life, it wouldn't involve these anytime soon (he figured for the last one at least): Being slow, and getting a girlfriend. He only sighed as he tried prying her off of him. He would like to yell at her to **not** do that to him anymore (he was starting to get small red marks on his neck), stop trying to stalk him, and just try to be a normal friend, but his good nature always got the best of him.

"Sure Amy." He said, hopefully she can trace his sarcastic tone. She didn't, and continued to stay next to Sonic. He grumbled at this; he was really in a tight spot now. _"Oh please, someone save me from this torture..."_

"Come on Amy, give Sonic some space." Piped out a voice. Everyone turned to see the new arrivals. It was Sonic's best friend and little brother Tails. The young fox kid's clothes looked exactly like Sonic's, only the coloring was different with yellow vs. blue. Also along side him was the favorite red head Knuckles, the (lets just say not well tempered) echidna, wearing a red T-shirt saying 'Red rockz', and black pants, and his traditional (what everyone calls just to piss him off) Jamaican shoes, despite the red on the bottom. Knuckles only chuckled as he nudged the young kitsune in his ribs.

"Relax Tails, let the poor kid have her fun. She'll never get another chance like this." Knuckles stated. Amy, losing that tiny spark of a small fan girl smile on her face, and sent a cold glare at Knuckles. He only shrugged, knowing there was no real threat to it.

"Oh hey Zeren, I forgot to tell you something." Amy said as she finally broke her focus on Sonic. Zeren glanced at her.

"Um, remember my cousin Vera? Well, she's coming for a visit this weekend!" She said with a nervous chuckle. Zeren blew chunks of his half chewed Pop-Tart from his mouth. Tails had a look of complete disgust while Knuckles burst out laughing. Vera Violet. His one worst nightmare. Like Amy, she was a complete stalker fan girl...only her target is Zeren. (And maybe Joey once in awhile if Zeren found a hiding place from her clutches). He paled out a bit. The rest of the guys chuckled at Zeren's becoming demise.

"Oh dude, your so toast!" Sonic said with his casual cocky grin. He patted his back in sympathy, knowing how it feels. Zeren just stayed stunned and glued to the asphalt, but soon regained his cool, calm posture and leaned against the stop sign.

"No biggie, it's not like I can't handle her. I mean, I've lived this long with her always trying to hunt me down, right?" He said, taking a few bites out of the other Pop-tart. Knowing they would want to continue this, he quickly changed the subject. "So Knuckles, seen your batty girlfriend yet? And her dark partner in crime?" He asked slyly. Sonic and Tails snickered, while Amy just rolled her eyes. _"Boys, will be boys. I can't live with them." _She looked at Knuckles, Zeren, & slightly glanced at Tails. _"And I can't live without them." _She thought when her jade eyes caught Sonic. She started to smile a bit. She really couldn't live without him, and maybe she couldn't live without the others, despite her small acception with Knuckles.

"SHUT UP ZEREN!" Knuckles roared at him, though the redness in his cheeks made it seem less threatening. Knuckles knew Zeren was talking about his sophomore girlfriend, Rouge the Bat. And her best friend (though he never said it, but she somehow had it in writing), Shadow the Hedgehog. He hated it when anyone brought up his relationship with Rouge, since the red echidna is shy and it took him almost 2 years just to ask her out.

Rouge and Shadow use to work for G.U.N. But after all the problems with Shadow and everything, they both quit. Well, actually, fired would be the correct term, but they let the others believe they left G.U.N, first. Rouge, having no other experience in life besides being a spy, stealing things, and meddling (actually, that's more of a hobby), she come up with her own spy organization. No one knew what she called it, but only she and Shadow (or more) are involved in it. Shadow, as much as he was one of no words and likes being alone, he doesn't have a choice, nor a say in the matter. Rouge has it in on him. Besides, he doesn't complain about it...much. He does like doing missions again, even with Rouge, if he'll even admit that.

"They're probably already at school, thanks to Shadow's bike again. You know how he is." Tails suggested. " So, we shouldn't keep them waiting, let's head out." Everyone knew it would be stupid to object Tails' logic. Though he may be one of the youngest, he was also the smartest. So smart in fact, that he skipped a few grades. Now, a smart 14 year old kitsune is a junior at Moblin Eren High School. Impressive, right? So, everyone started to head down the street.

"So guys, how was your Thanksgiving break?" Joey said as they were halfway there to school. Everyone just murmured the usual "fine, okay, boring, not much." Joey could only grow a sly grin as he nudged his little brother in the ribs. He flicked his brother's elbow away from him.

"Well, that's too bad. _We_ had an amazing break, didn't we Zeren?" He said. Zeren didn't catch on until he saw the look in Joey's eyes. The look Joey always had when he was trying to be annoying towards his little brother. And that pissed Zeren off.

"NO, NO, NO, we are **NOT** telling them!" He yelled. He hung his head with regret, now seeing as to why he shouldn't have said that out loud. Everything, everyone, was still. No one moved, nor spoke. Just set their eyes on the 2 suspicious siblings. Zeren just sighed deeply and took out his homemade creation of a cigarette. His mother already knows about his drinking habits, (or what she calls problem), but doesn't know his drug ones at all. But, thank God, this isn't like regular cigarettes. It's made up of a special fruit that use to grow around here. He mixed it up with a bunch of ingredients and chemicals he still doesn't know. That's all it took to make it. It lights like a cig, but to a surprise, it isn't life threatening to you. It's actually quite good and sweet.

"Ohhh~, tell us what boys?" Amy spoke out first, being a drama and gossip girl herself. (She's almost as bad as Rouge, just less stealthy). Zeren didn't say anything, and glared at his brother to do the same, and they kept on walking without them. Everyone looked at each other, and headed after them.

"Hey if you don't wanna talk about it, it's fine. I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious about this little secret you guys have going on." Amy kept blabbering her apology the whole rest of the way to school. Zeren just kept calmly puffing out clouds, though his head was screaming, "**_DON'T YOU HAVE AN OFF BUTTON!? THIS IS ONE OF THE VERY REASONS SONIC WON'T GO OUT WITH YOU! YOUR MAKING ME WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL EVEN MORE NOW!''_**

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of non-ending girl talk, they arrived at the gates of Moblin Eren High School. Zeren would've kissed the school's beautiful grassy grounds if he could. Zeren quickly threw his cigarette in the outside trash can, knowing people would be on his ass for things like that.

"Hey hey boys, and little Rosy. What took ya?" A sly feminine voice spoke out to them. They all looked over to a certain oak tree they usually stayed at before school began to see Rouge and Shadow to be sitting under the shady branches. Rouge was in quite the get up this morning. She had on a white shirt that suited her chest well with a heart on it that said "Love The White". She had on white skinny jeans that suited her hips. Of course, she had on her usual white boots with the heart on the toes & those white gloves Rouge loves so much (mostly because they were fashionable, & great on her spy missions). Rouge was waving over at then, and gave a wink when she spotted her red-tempered echidna amongst their crowd. Shadow only opened his eyes at everyone. In keeping with the guys tradition but not being a fashion freak like Rouge, he only wore a black leather jacket. You could say he looked like a guy coming from a 60's movie. Though the fact stands that he was a black and red hedgehog and not a jerky human. The group headed over to their two loners. Rouge came over to Knuckles, gave him a squeeze, and a kiss on his small nose. Knuckles grew hot as he muttered, "Hey Rouge". Zeren gave a small smile at this nice scene.

"_I have the coolest friends ever. It would only be great if Zera could meet them all..."_ He thought sadly. He took his cellphone out. His screen saver was a darling little picture of Zera sleeping peacefully. (Which he may or may not have taken at 2:00 in the morning). He then looked at the time. Crap!

"Hey guys, hate to break up our little love fest, but it's almost time for homeroom." He announced to everyone. Everyone tried to grab his or her bookbag. But it was all in a big rush of, 'That's mine, you idiot! or Give it! or Let it go!'

"Well, see you guys at lunch...And I'll see you later my darling Sonikku." She said to Sonic as she tried slipping through the other crowds to the freshman wing. He shuddered at this, making a puking face.

"She does know we aren't in Japan, right?" Tails pointed out to Sonic. Sonic shrugged.

"I don't know what she thinks, and I **_don't_** wanna know what she thinks in that pink messed up head of hers." He uttered back. Tails just gave him a sideways smile. Knuckles ruffled the young yellow fox's head.

"Alright kiddo, we should get going as well." He said. Knuckles is also a junior (despite his hard to understand IQ), so he and Tails waved bye to everyone and walked threw the crowd of students to get to the junior wing. Only Zeren, Sonic, Rouge, Shadow, and Joey remained. Rouge just smiled at Zeren.

"So Zeren, a little birdie told me you've left Liah in her own hole of pity. She's been crying the whole rest of the break since it happened. She'll hardly ever go out, or even text anybody anymore. You really broke her." She said with a hand placed on her hip, already starting to get a bit (as they called it), 'Rouge sassy'. Everyone looked at Zeren. He shrugged at their stares.

"The chick wouldn't listen to me. I tried to explain, and cope with her, but she's as stubborn as Knuckle-head here. She just wouldn't take the time to listen to my apologies. So, I had to cut the string." He said calmly. No one dared to say anything, nor could they. But Rouge kept on going, seeing as she was getting to him. A small devious started to form on her pink glossed lips.

"Still, that was kinda harsh. I mean, the girl changed now, and wants a second chance-"

"I DON'T CARE! I MOVED ON, AND SHE SHOULD DO THE SAME!" He yelled, storming off before anyone could comment to his outburst. Everyone remained quiet as Zeren's form slipped into the sophomore wing. Rouge smile only grew the more devious. And **_that_**meant danger.

"_Moved on, huh? __THIS__ just got interesting." _She thought slyly. Shadow only sighed at his female friend.

"Rouge, was that really necessary? You didn't need to go that far with Zeren. Surprisingly I know how he acts when he's been disturbed. You made me learn that the hard way. Go after him, and apologize." Shadow said plainly. If anyone knew a thing about Shadow, it was Rouge. When he suggested something, it was more of a nice command than a suggestion to how he could **_really_** say it. Rouge only sighed at her partner's words, knowing he was right. She slowly started to walk towards the sophomore wing after the orange echidna.

"Maybe I should go after them. Plus, Rouge should need some backup when dealing with Zeren when he's like that." Sonic said quickly, dashing after them. Joey sighed, and looked at Shadow.

"Just another day in our world, huh Shadow?" He said. Shadow only nodded in agreement, going back to his quiet nature. "Let's head to class." Shadow nodded again, as they both headed for the senior wing.

" _I can't believe I went off like that...I hope Rouge isn't suspicious of me again...She just loves to meddle, especially with me. And she has Knuckles now to mess with, but she still pulls the pranks, jokes, & meddling drama on me."_ Zeren thought as he got his English binder and science textbook out of his locker. Well, he'll know soon since he heard the sound of sneakers and boots coming up behind him. He turned his head ever so slightly to see Sonic and Rouge coming- no, rushing, at him.

"Yeah, I know your sorry, I'm sorry too. Let's just forget that little episode ever happened, ok?" He said before Rouge could even say a word. She looked at Zeren, then at Sonic, and back at Zeren again.

"Ok, cool! Glad we worked this out!" She said cheerfully. "Now c'mon, homeroom is gonna start any minute now." She urged them to follow as she began to walk towards their class together. As soon as they stepped one foot into that room, someone called out to Zeren.

"Hey Zeren, heard you and Liah are over. Does that mean she's available foe me?" Said Zeke Merkin, a grey wolf kid of mystery in their homeroom that had a very odd habit of going after the girls Zeren went out with. That's why he's rumored as the mysterious guy on the school grounds. Zeren just rolled his eyes at him as they pasted him, and took his seat on the other side of the room. Rouge sat behind him, and Sonic sat in his desk as the right hand to Zeren. They all stared down Zeke as if this classroom was a battlefield.

"I don't care if you could, but FYI, she'll never go out with you since you freaked her out at the pep rally last month." Zeren replied back plainly, though he did have a small victory smile sneaking on to his muzzle as he saw Zeke's defeated face. Rouge giggled while Sonic started to snicker behind his hand. Zeke just pouted, and looked away to talk to his other friends.

~**BING! BING! BING! BING!~**

The bell for latecomers to homeroom finally rang. Only a few students were lucky enough to slip into homeroom before the teacher could.

"Well, good morning everyone!" Said a sweet chipper female voice as the door closed. Everyone looked up to see their homeroom teacher, Ms. Vanilla. She was a beautiful rabbit, tall in fact. On her skinny body was a long, flowing brown dress which was perfect for the fall weather, draped close to the ground. The only thing stopping it from touching the floor were black high heeled shoes. A professional black tie suited perfectly on her chest. her face was also welcoming. A puff of fur was stylishly set like hair just above her hazel eyes. With pale pink lipstick plastered on perfect lips, it's surprising that she was still a single mom. She smiled at everyone, being the way too nice teacher she is.

"_Not to mention that she's little Cream's mom." _Zeren thought. Yes, Cream was also apart of the gang, though it seemed like she wasn't here today. Perhaps sick.

"Now then class, before they come on with the morning announcements, we have a new student joining our school today. I hope you will all treat her with respect." Vanilla explained. At the very mention of the word 'her', the room exploded with murmurs coming from the boys. Zeren and Sonic just rolled their eyes at their fellow male students. Those guys gave the girls here no respect. And they wonder why they sometimes got dumped. "Ok, please come in now dear."

Everyone's eyes were glued to the door as it opened. Then entered a sleek form of a girl. She had on purple hightops, dark purple jeans, that suited her hips quite nicely. She had on a blue shirt, layered above a green shirt making her own bust size look a little bit bigger that it was. The only way you can tell that her undershirt was green because the bottom was peeking out. Her black quill like hair was just above her hip area. But what got everyone, was her eyes. Her light, beautiful, silver eyes. But that only made Zeren freeze his whole body up. And not in the good way to point that out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Miss. Zoey Allen."

"_Oh, sweet Lord."_ The words exploded into Zeren's head. "_It's Zera..."_

* * *

** And that was a pretty damn well written 20 page chapter if I do say so myself! R&R pwease my friends, and I'll cyya next week! Peacez! ~Ari**

Oh, I almost forgot. To mention Zeren's shirt, I came up with a sudden idea. I did it after the song, "This Is The Best Burrito I've Ever Eaten". Hopefully there was no confusion with his shirt. & that can also go out the Joey's shirt too. I just thought about his personality, and came up with a random shirt idea, same with Knuckles shirt.


	6. Chapter 6: Can No One Take A Joke?

Hello everyone, welcome back! I'm sorry that this chapter came a week late. I have been busy cleaning, personal things have happened, &... Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Yeah, I'd never would have thought I would say that. The games I mostly get involved with involve swords, magic, guns, monsters & just plain violence. I wouldn't imagine myself playing a game without any of those. Even though I can't hit anything, the game is still so addicting!...Don't judge me.

Erm, well, anyway, I'll just say what needs to be said:

**A/N: **This will be the last of the half & half chapter. I realized that it sorta made things confusing. Glad I'm ending that era. Also, the way of Zera's school schedule was based off of mime from my freshman year on the final marking period. (Glad that chapter is done, now going to sophomore year. Exited & nervous). Um, what else? Oh, that's right!

Last thing, I promise. I'm going to be doing some new changes to my other stories. I've been realizing some things in them (with the help of a friend) were wrong. So, expect me to work harder & be better on my work.

Sonic & company belong to Sega.

Zera & company belong to Me.

Ok, I think I've wasted too much time with this intro. I'll just shut my trap & let you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Can No One Take A Joke?**

_"Holy God, holy God, what is she doing here?" _He thought nervously_. "Oh dear Lord, please don't tell me Mum came up for this." _He looked up at his friend once again. "_Then again, that new look Mum gave her is completely adorable." _He sighed dreamily with half lidded eyes. Her now shaped long bangs were now swept to the side of her face, so you could see her eyes more clearly. And they were staring dead straight at him. He snapped out of his trance and looked away.

"Well, don't be shy dear, tell us some things about yourself." Ms. Vanilla said in an interested voice. She sat at her desk, her hands placed under her chin, and leaned forward happily. Everyone had their eyes laid on their newcomer." Zoey, slowly looked back at them, and began to speak with a calm voice.

"Hi, I'm Zoey Allen. I'm 16 years old, soon turning 17. Well, I like to draw, run, and actually skateboard. I'm, surprisingly, related to someone in here. I'm-" She paused, as if she was nervous about what she needed to say next. Everyone leaned over their desks, held into the suspense. She gulped, and continued to talk. "I'm...Zeren's cousin...and I guess that's all I have to say." She ended it with a cute smile. Most of the guys smiled, while even some of the girls 'awwed' at this action. smiled at Zoey. "_I'm starting to hate school already. I mean, that was the worst script I ever heard! And I never read or did one in my life! I can't keep up with this shy, nice girl act.. It's just not me...Jackie, we are going to have a serious talk when I get back!...And how did I ever get talked into this!?" _She whined in her head. It seemed like it would be a simple morning. She was sleeping peacefully on her couch (as it seemed that is was her right to claim since she's staying with the Groters), then was yanked back into reality, changed to a whole new look which she had to admit was quite nice, & Jackie had driven her to school. Jackie had explained what she needed to do, & to act which made Zera unhappy with this act. This, is going to be a humiliating day, she could tell.. Vanilla clasped her hands together, snapping Zera out of her mind conversation.

"That must be nice to have family with you. I could say the same, since my only daughter goes here, but she is out sick today." She sighed, but continued to speak. "Well, since we got the introduction over with, let me tell you where you sit." Vanilla scanned over her seating chart, then looked at Zoey once again.

"Well, since I care that you should feel welcomed here, let me set you next to Zeren. That would be nice for you, wouldn't it? It's just the seat in front of him." She told her. Zoey nodded as she headed for her seat. She can already hear the whispers, feel all the stares on her body as she plopped down in her seat. She grimaced. And that's when the morning announcements went off. But Zeren couldn't hear it as he was lost in thought about his 'cousin' in front of him. Only a tiny nudge on his side snapped him out of it.

"Dude, she's really your cousin? Lucky! She's a total catch! How come you haven't told us about her? Does she really love to run? How fast can she run actually?" Sonic kept running his mouth. But before Zeren could answer (aka, shut him up), Ms. Vanilla called out.

"Zeren, Zoey, may I speak with you when the bell rings for first period? It's alright, you two aren't in any trouble. And don't worry, I'll write you guys a pass in case your late." She added nicely. Zeren and Zera looked at each other, then back at Ms. Vanilla. Everyone continued to gossip around them now, a feeling of interest of a certain new student hanging in the air. Rouge gave Zeren the look of, "So _this_ was your interesting weekend of our break?" Zeren gave her a nervous smile, then gave her a "let me tell you later" look. She nodded just as the bell rang to dismiss the students for the 1st period. All of the students practically ran out of the room to go brag about Zoey to their classes.

"And you better tell **_everyone_** later, you and your brother." Rouge whispered to Zeren before she headed out. All who was left in the room where Zeren, Zera, and Ms. Vanilla.

"Please, come up here you two." Vanilla commanded. Again, a look was exchanged between the two, then walked in front of Vanilla's desk.

"Now, time to set the record straight. I know who you really are Zera. Zeren's mom told me everything." She said, a sly smile tainted her lips. Zera's eyes went wide with shock, while Zeren chuckled nervously. How could he forget that his mom and Ms. Vanilla were friends? Especially the kind that tell that tell each other everything. He should've seen this coming. He sweat-dropped, feeling his head go numb. This can NOT be happening. She smirked at him as she continued. "Jackie had asked me and a few others to watch over Zera when she's here. And she also wanted me to tell you something important. You and your brother must protect her when she's outside of your home, and school. We don't know if agents are lurking around the town. They could already be searching for her." Ms. Vanilla eyed them both, and started to shuffle through her desk. She pulled out her pack of passes and wrote on one. "If you guys have any questions, just come to me, okay?" She said as she handed Zeren the pass. They both nodded at her, and walked out of her classroom.

"Ok, Zoey, what is your first class?" Zeren asked. Zera put her fingers in her pocket, and pulled out a folder piece of paper. She opened it up, and read it.

"I have...English with...Mr. Croc." She said in a shy voice. Zeren grinned, seeing as she was in the same class as him. _"Praise Mum, if she put Zera in all my classes, I'll forgive her for this sudden surprise."_ He blessed in his mind.

"Well lucky you, your in my class. C'mon, I'll show you how to get there." He said as he sped up his pace. She kept up with him as they made a few turns down the hallways, until they reached their destination of Room J:102. Zeren opened the door, and walked in casually. Zoey, on the other hand, hanged by the doorway a little bit more. Zeren urged her in, and she finally stepped into the classroom, still having a cautious eye on every living breathing thing in there.

Immediately, the class broke into exited whispers at the sight of the new arrival. Zera nervously walked up behind Zeren, who was talking with the teacher. The teacher looked at her with strong, yet happy brown eyes. He was a large, green crocodile, as his name would state. He had on large white gloves with black & a small gold stripe running threw the middle of the blackness on his cuffs. All he was wearing was a red tie, & was twiddling a red pen in his fingers.

"So, you must be Ms. Zoey Allen. I'm your new English teacher, Mr. Croc. But, you may also call me Mr. V, from my first name. I'm expecting big things from you. Pleased to meet you young lady." He said as he held out his gloved hand towards her. It was five times bigger than hers, so she had that sudden thought that it would crush her own so easily. So, she would just have to outmatch his strength. She put her small hand into his large one, and gave a good shake. Mr. V gave a short gasp. All the students turned to look at him.

"My, that's...that's quite a grip you have there. Strong hands on such a young girl. I really can expect things from you." He complemented, though he was gripping his now sore hand. Some giggles broke out in the background. Mr. V glared at the nosey students, and they immediately shut their traps. "Well, uh, Zoey, please take a seat over by Dennie. Dennie, please wave your hand so Zoey can see where she'll be sitting from now on."

There was a tall wave by a pale blue scaled hand. Zoey shyly walked over to the desk next to Dennie. Dennie sent her a toothy grin. He was some kind of lizard, his scales no deeper than the blue colored lines on notebook paper. Though, his eyes were a strong green, some would say jade. He had on a purple shirt with a sword on it. He had on sleek pants on, with blue sneakers. Zera still felt there was a small treat to him, but remembered what Jackie told her before she came here. "_Not everyone is an enemy towards you, don't be too timid."_ _"Don't be too timid..." _Zera thought calmly. She looked at Dennie again. He was focusing on the lesson they were learning. Romeo and Juliet.

"Hey, um, Dennie? May you please help me with this?" She asked in an innocent voice that could make the devil cry. Dennie's cheeks glowed a bit, but he looked away as he grabbed a textbook off an empty desk, then got out a spare notebook that had a purple lead pencil placed in the spiral metal from his binder. He placed it all on her desk, and began to talk quietly to her.

"Well, hopefully you've heard of the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet. We're at the part where Romeo is talking to Juliet on her balcony. It's creepy if you ask me, but it's what they called love in those days." Dennie smiled. She gave a small, yet confused smile back. _Love_...She opened up the textbook until she found the title of Romeo and Juliet. She glanced at Dennie's opened book to the right page. She flipped to it and began reading. She immediately started to write down lines and phrases and ideas that interested her. In fact, she was too absorbed into it, she didn't even hear the bell ring. Only until she felt Zeren tap her shoulder, did she finally leave. Sadly, he didn't have the next few classes with her till lunch. So, he had waited patiently, class after class, until it was 7th period. He practically ran out of his science class. Which was a bad decision, for he ran into a small female squirrel with big blue glasses carrying a large stack of books. Ran right into her, making books scatter all over the hallway. He gave her a quick sorry & ran down to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was as busy as ever. But, he knew where the gang usually sat, so he headed right over there. He was relieved that Zera was sitting with Joey, Sonic, and Rouge at the circular table. He sat down next to his brother & Sonic.

"Hey dude, aren't you getting lunch? Heard they got the pizza today!" Sonic asked, seeing his friend arrive empty handed. Zeren shrugged as he gently laid his head on the lunch table.

"I would, but it's packed in there, I don't think I could make it in there." Zeren said tiredly, though he took out his lunch money, knowing what Sonic would do. Sonic took the cash, and in a quick flash, he was up and ordering Zeren's lunch. 10 seconds later, he came back with a tray that had a medium cheese pizza, a Coke, and some fries on it. Sonic placed the tray and Zeren's change on the table. Zeren put his change into his pocket, and started to eat his pizza.

"So, Zeren, Joey, I'm so loving your cousin with a good passion. She's such a cutie! Since she's in my History class second period, she made the best scene ever! Despite her coming in just as we started a new lesson, she proved Mr. Stone wrong. He was being harsh as he always was when explaining things. She acted as if she was there after the Civil War. It was awesome! He was stunned with the face of a fish!" Rouge said proudly, patting Zera's head. Zera just looked up from her sandwich, and gave Rouge a small smile. Sonic finished the last of his chili dogs, and licked his lips in satisfaction.

"Thought, she is still shy..." He added, glancing at Zoey. Her face paled a bit. Thankfully, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow sat at the table. Knuckles sat next to his girl, while Shadow sat on the other side of Joey, and Tails was seated next to his best friend. No later, Amy came skipping along happily and tried sitting next to Sonic, but was stuck sitting next to Tails.

"Well, Zoey, we're all here. What did you need to tell us?" Rouge asked, interest glowing in her eyes. Zeren stopped drinking his Coke, & looked at Zera.

"U-um, what are you talking about?" He asked timidly. Rouge grew a sly smile, then tried being innocent by laying her head on Knuckles' chest. Everyone looked at Zoey's slightly reddening face.

"We-well, I have something important to say...As you all may know by now, I'm staying with Zeren, Joey, and...Ms. Jackie. But, I'm not related to them. I'm just...a friend." Most of all of them gasped, only Shadow gave a slight surprised look. She continued. "The truth is, I crashed here (literally), and Zeren saved me. I'm...a criminal in a way, if you want to use labels, I don't care anymore. But, the people that held me captive, they are the true villains. And now, I know there's an evil here that is also related to my evil on my planet. Called G.U.N." Everyone looked at Shadow, who's eyes went to a calm ruby, to a maddening blood red. Even Rouge had a small unpleasant face as Knuckles held her closer to him. "Mine is called N.U.G. Jackie said I couldn't stop them alone...I needed a team...So, she told me to meet you guys. She said you guys can be my perfect team... So, if I can ask, will you guys do it? If you can, we could end N.U.G, G.U.N, and all their sister units. And hopefully, I can go back to my planet...and be free again. Also, my name isn't Zoey Allen. My name is Zera." She said in a sly smile. Zeren & Joey were staring at her in complete horror as she was admitting the biggest secret they ever had. Everyone was completely silent.

Dead silent.

"Ivy, come over to my office please." Ron said as he passed by the squatting captain. She looked up at him, glad that he stopped her from cleaning the dramatic spit take he did earlier. She stood up quickly, and followed her captain.

"Sir, is there a problem? Has there been an attack? Should I prepare the men?" She asked. She knew that whenever he talked to her in his office, there was something really serious going on...Something exiting, and boy, did Ivy love some excitement! The tired commander just shook his head.

"No...Well, not a problem...More of an assignment really. We can't use the men until we know for sure." He said as they continued to walk. They finally made it to Ron's office quarters. He sat down at his desk, while Ivy just leaned against the wall.

"So, what exactly is it Sir?" She said, crossing arms over her chest. Ron clasped his hands under his chin, and looked up at Ivy.

"Well, do you remember that female experiment? 203? The one we had to hold into custody for a few hours while High Commander Jade needed to add an adjustment to her own base for the little rat?" He asked. Ivy tilted her head away from his view, but not because she did remember her, but also because she was trying to hide her snickering face.

"Yes Sir, I do."

"_How could I forget the demonic, yet cute project that almost ate you for trying to pet her head?" _She thought in her mind. She just happen to pass by that day when she heard the Commander shriek out for help when she took her first tour here. It was quite amusing to see the man of the organization crying and screaming for help against a small girl almost eating him alive.

"Good...Well, after my wonderful talk with...Jade..." He stiffened at the not long ago memory. "Well...She is here, on our planet Ivy! She might even be close by!" He exclaimed, now his eyes showing little, but still noticeable fear in them. Ivy couldn't believe her luck. This was perfect! If they find Project 203, capture her, then somehow she breaks out and kills the Commander. (Eat him alive, rip him to shreds, she didn't care which, as long as he felt pain before he died). Then, **SHE**, would finally take over this organization, and maybe even step up to High Commander if The High Council believes she is worthy to surpass the (current) High Commander, Jade. Ivy was practically glowing with glee.

"Ivy? Captain, are you even **LISTENING** to me?!" Ron said in a very angry tone. Ivy snapped right of her trance of happiness, and looked her hopefully soon to be dead boss in the face.

"Err...yes and no Sir. I was listening at first, but got lost in thought with my planning..."

"...What kind of planning, Captain?" Ron asked suspiciously, now standing up. Ivy got a nervous tingle, hoping he doesn't know of her still growing hatred for him. She looked back at him, trying to show calm eyes.

"Umm, thinking out my plans for...for capturing the project!" She said, remembering that was the subject anyway. The Commander, still having a curious look in his eyes, grinned.

"Well then, good thinking Captain. You can tell me them when we first know where the blasted creature is hiding." He said as he clenched his hands into fists. Ivy sighed quietly, seeing his obsession on vengeance on 203 was getting to his head like his hate on Commander Jade. "Now Ivy, let us go to the Control Tower, and tell them to find our dear little friend." He said, his tone a little more hard than usual. She shrugged, and started to head out to the Control Tower, Ron not far behind her.

"_I can't let this great opportunity escape me. I must work hard to keep my own eyes on the prize."_ Ivy thought just as they entered the Control Tower. There was a buzz moving along in there. All the 28 machines where occupied by at least 3 people around them. Only Lieutenant Miskit saw the appearance of Commander Ron, and the lovely young Captain Ivy coming towards him. He saluted them both, and they both returned the gesture.

"Lieutenant, we are going through a serious situation right now. I need to take care of other business on this subject. I'm leaving Captain Ivy here to command the search. I trust you **_both_** won't fail me. Miskit, listen to the Captain well, she still outranks you. Good Luck." He said as he left the scene. Miskit only nodded at Ron. This...was a dream! Ever since he saw Ivy taking the tour of how it was to work here after the hard training when he was heading out for a mission, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Which was bad, since he ran into a pole that day. His nose is still sore, but at least she giggled at him, and that's all he needed.

"I will give you my undivided attention, Captain Ivy. I will be listening & standing by you all the way." He tried saying in his most charming voice. Thankfully, he was taller than her by 2 inches, so it would seem cool to her. (He may or may not have stayed on her blog for 3 hours every night researching her likes and dislikes on men if she dated. She apparently liked tall guys). Ivy just looked up and smiled kindly at Miskit.

"Thank you...At least you have a heart to listen to me..." She said in an airy voice. Miskit smiled back at her. He liked to see her happy. But seriously, she deserves to be listened to. She had some really great ideas, that the Commander stupidly dismissed them all.

"Um, well then Lieutenant, may you please get everyone's attention so we can get started?" She said in a tone that Miskit thought was completely adorable. But he completely snapped out of his trance, and faced the crowd.

"Everyone, ATTENTION! Captain Ivy is present! Give her your upmost attention maggots!" He shouted. Don't let his lovey-dovey personality fool you. He literally is a lover and a fighter. Everyone working around them immediately broke off their work activity, and faced the Lieutenant and the Captain. Everyone exchanged a salute to them. Ivy only held her hand up.

"At ease men. I come before you today with an important announcement..." She paused, waiting for everyone to soak in their excitement and curiosity. "As you may recall, a few years ago G.U.N had let one of its greatest weapons and enemies it had ever seen go. Project Shadow.." Her audience began to chant in anger at the very mention of him. She held up her hand to silence them. They grew silent once more. "He escaped us, and made our organization shut down on Earth, and we were forced to move here to Marnt." She paused, suddenly getting exited at this part.

"And then, a year later (though this event was said to have happened many, many years before Project Shadow), we have heard of a new, better project that our sister N.U.G had been working on secretly. Sadly, she had escaped them 2 days ago...But, she made the fatal mistake of landing here. And now, we must capture Project 203, and send her back to Veron." All eyes widened at this, then everyone broke into applause. Ivy stood up proud and strong. "Dark Alpha team, you search here on the devices in the surrounding areas for strong energy or magic signs. Light Alpha team, you go spread the word to the public. But not in a alarming way. Just say that she is a missing child and should be turned to us immediately. Ya'll know the drill." She stopped, wondering why she brought back that old accent. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Alright. And last, but not least, Gray team. You'll go undercover, and search all surrounding neighborhoods that she could be hiding in. Now, MOVE OUT!" She said.

"Yes Sir!" Everyone said. Most of the room was filled out in a matter of minutes. Dark Alpha Team stayed to do their post. The other two teams left. The Captain grew a sly smile on her lips.

"_Sir...I like the sound of that! It's good to be in charge. And soon, I will be in charge _**_officially_**." She thought happily, leaving the room, with the love sick Miskit right behind. But, this, was only the beginning.

"Morning Sir." Passing soldiers said to their scurrying commander. He would only give them a simple nod, but showed no sign of stopping. He rushed back to his office, locked the door, and sat at his desk.

"This...I don't know why, but I'm suddenly thinking that this is a bad idea..." He sighed out. His logic was simple. They could catch her, but with her long experience with cells, prisons, and even the organizations themselves, couldn't she escape easily? They probably couldn't keep her for a day! Jade is lucky enough to keep that little monster captive for no more than a week! Or maybe more and less, depending if she was asleep or trapped in her mind. Well, that's what he assumed. Then again, they could always put her in the new base/prison they have been working on...

"_It's only a matter of time now...This will either be the organization's destiny...or our doom. And with this strange feeling exploding in my chest, I feel...like this could be the end of me.." _He sighed, already stressed out when nothing was even happening...yet. "The big stuff will come soon...whether I like it or not.." He mumbled, laying his tired old head on his desk. Not even 5 minutes in his resting moment, his comm unit buzzed off. He practically cried and fell out of his chair.

**"CAN'T I JUST TAKE A SIMPLE 5 MINUTE NAP?! DOES THAT PHRASE MEAN ****NOTHING**** TO ANYONE?!" **He shouted out. He slowly stood up,and dusted himself off. He was glad that no one saw or heard his childish behavior. He sat back in his chair, and leaned over to tap on his comm unit.

"Yes, Philly?" He said, his tone back to normal. He could hear his younger cousin, (And he's thankful that only Ivy and Miskit know that Philly is his one family member here), snickering at him.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to see if your baby temper fest is over." She laughed again when she heard Ron grumble angrily. Man, was teasing her cousin a bloody hoot! She smiled to herself.

"Ha ha **_Phil_** , very funny. What's your **REAL** news?" He asked. Philly cringed at Ron's words, but didn't let her voice show it.

"You've got a visitor...It's your girlfriend, Jade's captain. I'm sending him up now. Have fun!" She said in a fake innocent voice. She heard him yell out, **"She's NOT my girlfriend!"** before she turned off her comm unit. She knew that he knew she got the last laugh. Ron sighed as he leaned back in his chair, mumbling very unpleasant words until there was a knock at the door. Ron hit the unlock button, and in came the young man. They stared silently at each other, for what seemed like hours, but only mere seconds.

"Hello, Commander Ron..." The young man said in an acid tone, a glare still in effect.

"Good morning...nephew." Ron said in a small, cold voice.

* * *

And there is another chapter for you all to enjoy. This took 16 pages to write. I hope it was worth reading. And if the whole table lunch thing was confusing (I kinda confused myself on it until I wrote it down), I'll just tell you how the were sitting going clockwise (Keeping in mind that the table was a circle): Zeren, Joey, Shadow, Knuckles, Rouge, Zera, Amy, Tails, & Sonic. I feel like I shouldn't have put Amy so close to Zera after all. It's just a principle feeling.

Stay tight, & I promise I will be here next week.

R&R please!


	7. Chapter 7: New Friend Brings A New Enemy

** Hello everyone, welcome back to Crime Time Lover (Dimension 5). I'm glad that people are enjoying it. Well, let me get on with the daily news, & I'll let you get started on reading this chapter.**

** To bearvalley3365 (again, they wouldn't let me respond to your review, so I'm doing it this way & I hope your reading this chapter): Of course I can forgive you. Even though I like feedback from fans, I just appreciate people reading and liking my stories. And to answer that question, you may just PM me. It's just a bit revealing for the storyline. Even though I'm just starting to write out Chapter 12. Thank you for your review! :3**

** A/N: Glad my short, half & half chapter era is finished. Time for the big chapters. Hope your all ready to read like maniacs!**

** Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic. Belongs to Sega**

** I own Zera & company.**

**Please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 7: A New Friend Brings A New Enemy**

"So wait, are you telling us that you're...an alien?" Tails said in an interested tone as the grueling silence settled around them. Zera gave him a look of fake mild stupidity, but could only answer in a shrug.

"Well, I still am an anthropomorphic creature (by species I believe) like you guys, I would not count as one by blood...And there is also the fact that I came from another dimensional planet...So I would say, yes and no to that, little kitsune." She said, looking at Tails to see if he was satisfied with that answer.

"So, same group like us, just different planet. Yeah, your an alien in my book." Sonic said, giving a small smile. Zera smiled back at him. Rouge, on the other hand, had other thoughts, and stood up.

"Whoa whoa WHOA, what a minute guys, let's think this over now! We come back from Thanksgiving break, find this cute girl living with our echidna trouble brothers, no offense boys, and now she's saying that she is an intergalactic criminal who traveled through space who's trying to get away from an organization that is apparently connected to **_OUR_** G.U.N. Is anybody _**else **_finding this weird besides me?" She said, taking a needed inhale after that long speech, and sat back down. Knuckles patted her back as she snuggled her head in the crook of his neck. Everyone just gave identical glances at each other, then all eyes fell on the main subject: Zera.

"Please, I'm being honest with you all than I ever had in a very long time!" She paused, seeing as her voice was getting louder. She cleared out her throat. "Please, this is a matter of life and death, I need help, from all of you!" She felt her voice crack, seeing her throat hadn't completely healed yet. When no one gave her an immediate answer, she just put her head down in agony. She could always just find other people, or even take on Jade & her goons herself... Not until a husky, but quiet voice made her ears swivel upward.

"I believe you...So, I will help you." It was non-other than the dark silent hero, Shadow. Everyone, including Zera, had huge eyes of awe at him. You would expect the true blue hero Sonic to say that, not the one who would never whisper a word to anyone, Rouge was the most shocked out of all of them. She knew Shadow more than them could imagine.

"Shadow, are you mental? Why in the hell-"

"Rouge, trust in me this time." Shadow stared right into Zera's eyes, both of them showing deep innocence and purity. He was still saying words, but he didn't break his gaze on Zera. "She's telling the truth guys. We projects have a way with understanding situations with each other...we know." And for the first time than anyone, (especially Rouge), have become friends with the striped hedgehog had given the smallest and faintest of smiles in history. Knuckles gave out a small chuckle.

"Well I'll be damned! I guess this solves it all! Alright Zera, I'm in! I haven't gone on an exiting adventure in many months. This could get very interesting." He said in a proud voice, cracking his one abnormally large fist, while the other was wrapped around Rouge in comfort. The mood amongst everyone lightened into a more open, caring one.

"Sure Zera, you can always count on me! As long as you don't go after my Sonic. _**He's** _off limits for dating to **you**." Amy said, her tone not very threatening. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, then she looked away from her. Tails just rolled his eyes, as did Sonic, but more dramatically. They were glad that Zera didn't understand any of that. It would've been curtains for...well, actually Amy, seeing as that Zera might be the stronger female hedgehog.

"I want to help too Zera, with whatever it takes...But, just to be on the safe side, do you think can you come over to our house this afternoon after school & our clubs to go over some things?" Tails asked, his voice sounding soft and shy. Zera looked at Tails, then at Joey and Zeren. They glanced at each other, having an eye conversation, then back at Zera.

"It's fine, but I need to come with you...You know, in case there's trouble. Mum and even Ms. Vanilla said I had to watch over you anyway." Zera said. Zera nodded, till Joey slammed his hand on the table.

"Umm, hello dummy, I'm going with her! I **_am_** the eldest **AND** strongest, I should be the one to go with her!"

"No you doofbag, I am! I know her more!"

The brothers kept battling it out to protect their alien female friend/ new teammate. Rouge, being a better observer on people than any of them, now saw the **real** reason why they were fighting.

"_This, is actually getting interesting, and quite cute...And __**that**__ means I gotta meddle." _She grinned ever so slightly in the trademark mischievous way she always did before having her fun. Glad the others were too distracted to notice it appear. She leaned off of Knuckles (much to his displeasure), and leaned forward, placing her hands under her chin slyly.

"I'm sorry that I didn't trust you before joining our gang, but I see I misjudged you." Rouge meant that. "I mean, with all the crazy things that have happened to us in the past, I'm sorta paranoid with anyone new.." She gave a slight chuckle. Rouge was being honest and apologizing, yes, but she was also saying this to get Zera to forgive her, and like her a bit more for better information. Personal wise **AND** mission wise. She might even wrap around her pinkie & do whatever she wanted her to do. But that would be wrong. _"Plus, she might kill me when possible. Manipulating someone like her could be bad.. But if that could ever happen, I guess there would only be a few drawbacks..."_ Zera gave her a certain look, but shook the weird vibe anyway. Rouge smiled sweetly at her.

"Yeah, Rouge has a point. I mean, we've fought Egghead's robots, all sorts of weird creatures and people, including some in the past, future, and books plus stories. Even the Metarex! We even earned and lost an alien friend!..." Sonic stopped, knowing how Tails felt about any subject on Cosmo, and how pained he was losing her. Tails had his eyes down casted. Thankfully, he found the seed of Cosmo, and has been growing it ever since in his lab. He knows that one day she'll return, but until then, he didn't want to hear the mention of his past love. Sonic looked at his younger metaphorical brother. Tails felt Sonic's eyes on him, and looked at him. He gave Sonic that sad, but reassuring smile. Amy, finally glancing at the clock, & gave a small hoot.

"Joey, Zeren, stop playing with each other and listen up!" She commanded. Everyone except Zera and Shadow snickered a bit. The brothers stopped their useless battle (but Zeren won in the end), and their cheeks gained a glow. But, their eyes were blazing. They shrieked at her.

"**AMY, DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT!"**

By then, most of everyone was laughing, then they all looked back at Amy.

"What I was trying to say was that lunch was almost over." She looked at Zera then. "Do you know where your next class is?"

Zera took out her paper once again, and scanned it over.

"Umm, I have freehand drawing, with Mr...um, is his name really Mr. Camo?"

"Yeah, but it's okay hun, he's a great friend of ours. Also apart of our older team, older than us. Most of us would be with them if it hadn't been for a certain blue goofball who just **_had_** to make most of us except our older department (including the Ultimate Lifeform) to go with him to Eggman's base to go destroy a timebar." Rouge said in an exaggerated tone, but a smile was given out to the slowly turning purple speedy hedgehog. Tails chuckled at his brother.

"Well, that's great! Cause me and Amy have him as well! C'mon, let's slip out early so we don't get caught in the crowd." Rouge said as she took one of Zera's hands with her own gloved one, and stood up.

"Just...be careful out there, ok? And don't blow your cover. Your just Zoey Allen to everyone else." Zeren said quickly, but was mainly looked at Rouge than Amy or Zera. Zera just nodded, while Rouge just rolled her eyes, but suddenly smirked as a great teasing idea came to mind.

"Yeah yeah Zeren, SHEESH! Your girlfriend here is under great wings, and I mean that pun so literally!" She laughed, walking away with Zoey, and Amy right behind them. Zeren's face was a complete wreck of blushing in embarrassment, and also in rage.

** "RRRROOOOUUUUGGGGEEEE!" **He yelled at the top of his lungs. By then, the lunch room had grown quiet for once, and all eyes fell on Zeren. Some giggles broke out amongst some students. Zeren just laid his head down on the table in complete humiliation as everyone went back to their own business.

**"I'm gonna fricking kill that bat..." **Zeren muttered coldly and dark under his breath. Joey just gave his brother a good pat on the back.

"Hey, don't worry about it kid. If 'Zoey' doesn't understand these things, chances are she'll still never know your crushing on her, or look at you all lovey-dovey like you do to **her**." Oopps, that was most obviously the wrong thing to say out loud. Zeren looked at his brother in complete horror. All their friends around them burst out in a chorus of amused laughter. Joey gave out a nervous chuckle, and gave his about to kill him brother an apologetic look. Shadow, also one who didn't like the subject but has grown a liking to Zeren, spoke up.

"Ok guys, stop picking on him. So what if he likes a girl? We should still be laughing at Knuckles." Knuckles shot Shadow a look at this comment. "Even though this may be the first time ever that Zeren had had these...women problems." This time Zeren gives the dark hedgehog a glowing glare. "But, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but we can help him. If he needs it and wants the help to win this girl over, we'll be his honorable wingmen. As that is the wingman code." Shadow explained, though he didn't make eye contact with anyone after that. It took a few moments, but finally Sonic started to clap slowly in awe, followed by Tails, then Knuckles, and Joey joined in. Zeren gave all of them crazy looks.

"Dude, that was the **BEST** wingman speech ever said!" Sonic said. Tails and Knuckles nodded in agreement. Joey was glancing down, but he had to nod as well. That, was a true man's poetry.

"Then I guess it's settled, bro, we'll help you with Zoey. We'll start later when you and her go to Sonic and Tails' house." Joey said. Zeren slowly let a smile stretch along his face. He really did the best and most loyal friends ever. And an annoying, but caring brother as well.

"...Thanks guys, that means a lot...And I know that all of you (besides Knuckles) aren't romance people, and to be honest, I wasn't the best, no matter how many girls I get-" He stopped. Tails made a continuing motion.

"And...?"

"Oh no, that was actually it. That was my point." Zeren said sheepishly. Thankfully, before anyone could comment, lunch was over. Zeren thanked the lord above him, threw out his trash, and ran like hell out of there, not wanting to face weirdness to his fellow guys. Guess that saying was true.

Lunch was the weirdest part of the day.

**_XXX_**

"Well, this is Mr. Camo's room. Pretty sweet, huh?" Amy commented as the girls entered the art room. The walls were **covered** in creative paintings and great drawings. Anything from animals to food, to self-portraits, to outdoor scenery, anything you can think of, was on the walls. Zoey was completely trapped in their beauty, how the colors flow gently over the paper and even how some colors smashed in together to give it good flavor. It was too much for the girl. Zera could only nod as she was lost in everything surrounding her.

"It's...it's amazing in here!"

"Why thank you, I do like to give my students great examples...Plus, the walls looked so blank and lonely, I had to do something." Said a voice from out of the blue. Zoey tensed up, though the others stayed very calm. Was it...Mr. Camo? She tried peering around the room, but didn't see anything...yet. Not until her eyes just barely saw a hazy form in front of the picture with the demonic angels. By then, her curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she walked slowly towards it. When she got closer, however, it seemed to have fade away.

That's when it was too late.

There was suddenly a burst of color in front of her. There was a purple chameleon with soft, but piercing hazel eyes staring at her. A beautiful large horn of yellow was also on his head. As much as this was a beautiful site, the sudden appearance frightened Zoey. Quick as a whip and without thinking, gave a yelp, and aimed to kick at his face. Luckily, he actually caught her foot before it made contact with him. Though, he was struggling trying to hold her foot. He gave a good squeeze, then released his hold on her. He looked at his hand, then at the girl.

"Good form, nice aim...I'm impressed with this." He said lightly. Zoey, on the other hand, was trying to keep her heart steady & was staring with small intent at the man before her.

"T-thank you, Mr. Camo.." She said, her voice becoming calm and collected again. Rouge and Amy came up to them.

"Sorry about that Espio, we didn't know she would react like that. She's...just not use to things like that." Rouge explained.

"Oh no, I can do that as well, I'm use to that...It was honestly just a reflex." Zera said in a sheepish tone. Espio glanced at the young hedgehogette. "_Interesting how she can say that so bluntly.."_ Neither the less, things needed to be discussed before more students entered his classroom.

"Well, let's get on with this, shall we? As you may know, I'm Mr. Camo, the freehand drawing teacher. But, my name is Espio. I'm apart of the team, the more...elite group, as I can say." He gave a small smirk when he received angry glares from Rouge and Amy. "I had gotten a call from Jackie explaining everything last night. Now me and my other teammate, Vector, are more undercover than we have been since we came here. I would believe you have met him already, he mostly has morning classes." Zera nodded, remembering her big green crocodile English teacher.

"So, I welcome you to our team. If you need any help with fighting practice, and camouflage skills, I'm the teacher for it. I will be happy to work, and serve with you, Miss. Zera." Espio said with a final look, then walked away from the girls to his desk. Zera, getting a good feeling about him, then looked at her new friends.

"Don't let that nice guy act fool ya though. He can be just as quiet as Mr. Grump Stripes, being our invisible ninja as he is." Amy said. Rouge gave her a quick nudge in her ribs. She cried out a silent "oww".

"Amy has different opinions about everyone here on the team. Espio is our invisible ninja, yes, but he's also a great friend. Not as great as **_Zeren_**..." She hinted, her voice getting a bit louder. Zera, not really getting what Rouge was really saying, just nodded. By then, a few more students came into the room, sitting at their tables and chatting.

"Maybe we should take our seats now.." Amy implied. Rouge nodded, and waved a hand at Zoey to follow.

"C'mon Zoey, we have an open seat here for you here at our table, next to Carol. Hey Carol, how are ya?" Rouge said as she sat in her seat across from where Carol was. Carol looked up from her sketching, and smiled. She, though unlike Tails, was a one-tailed fox. Her fur was just as white as snow, but eyes as bright as the sun, for they were a pure kind of yellow. She wasn't an artic fox mind you, don't let that pelt fool you. She naturally gets her fur color like this when the weather gets colder. **ALMOST** like an artic fox.

She had on black jeans, and a blue shirt with a cupcake on it, saying "Bite me, I'll bite you." It was cute and funny in Zera's opinion. Amy finally took her seat next to the albino bat.

"Hey Rouge, great in fact! Had a good break!" She noticed the black hedgehogette staying in the shadows of the bat. "Yo, who's the newbie?" She asked. Rouge looked over her shoulder to see Zera behind her. Rouge tilted her head towards the lonely chair next to Carol at Zera. Seeing what she was explaining, Zera walked over and sat next to Carol.

"Umm, I'm Zoey...hi." Zoey said, trying not to make eye contact with anyone around her, or her break her act. She didn't know how much more she could take. But Carol just smiled sweetly at her.

"Well hey howdy hey girl! Name's Caroline, but call me Carol or Lyne. I'm guessing your new and shy, huh?" She said, her complete focus now aimed at Zoey. Zoey only nodded. Amy decided to step in.

"Yeah, she's Zeren's and Joey's cousin, and she'll be staying with them till...well, let's just say till things get for the better for her and her family..." Amy said, trying to not sounding too suspicious. Rouge set a look on her that clearly stated, "Don't give the slip, stupid!" Amy hung her head a bit, feeling a bit bad for almost spilling a hint about Zera's secret. But, Carol didn't seem to mind, and smiled at Zoey.

"Don't worry, I got ya. So, it's family problems, huh? Yeah, I know what you mean..." Carol's tone dropped a bit, and that cheerful smile vanished. Zera gave her a sympathy smile. "I guess your life was more insane than mine, right?"

Zoey had to smirk at this. "Heh, you have no idea..." Thankfully, the final bell rang for the students to get in their classes now, or get immediate detention. Espio finally looked up from his paperwork to the clock, then eyed his students, glad they're all present. He kept his eyes longer on a certain table, with a certain number of girls. He especially stayed focus on a certain tan skinned and dark furred female hedgehog.

"Good afternoon class." Mr. Camo said. Most of the students muttered the usual "good afternoon Mr. Camo." He felt a sweat drop forming on his head, seeing the dead and dull eyes of most of his bored students. He cleared his throat, then pointed to Zoey.

"We have a new artist joining our crowd today. Please make a good welcome to Zoey Allen." He said. Some students that haven't seen or even heard of the girl, suddenly had eyes full of life, and all interested on Zoey's figure.

_ "Why does everyone keep looking at me like that? It makes me feel so...exposed..."_ Zera's eyes began to get a hard coloring in them from all the very unneeded and unwanted attention. She's fine with Carol, but everyone else just chafes her. She wondered if she would be able to move fast enough to rip apart a boy's arms on the other side of the room, and use his bones as small daggers, and take out the rest of his table...hmmm, the possibilities for such fine destruction. This made her make a small smile of pleasure.

Espio, feeling the sudden presence and danger in his mist, slowly turned his attention to Zera. As soon as he saw the color in her eyes had grown a bit darker & were narrowed, he acted fast.

"Zoey is one to not like attention on herself, so I must tell you all to stop making goo-goo eyes at her!" He explained. Some students, mostly females, averted their eyes from her. But the males...only let their eyes glow with an unhealthy lust as their eyes still scavenged her body. Zera felt sick to her stomach, with rage glowing and growing more inside of her. As smart as she may seem, she only has a mind of a young dangerous child...she didn't understand their looks, or why they were only aimed at her. She was getting fired so badly, you'd swear that you saw steam pouring out of her ears. Espio was **REALLY** not liking the atmosphere turning into a deadly one.

"I'm serious guys, that is enough. You may talk or look at her later, not when it's on **MY **class time." He regretted letting his eye lay on Zera's pissed form. Her eyes were practically on fire. He felt the death that might happen soon if he didn't calm down the deadly child. Thankfully, the hormone-filled boys sighed, and let their eyes cast on their chameleon teacher. He had a look of complete relief, and strode past the girls' table. Before leaving them though, he made a sudden stop at Zera. He leaned down, and whispered in her ear.

"Keep those emotions under control Missy. I don't want to send you to detention for murdering fellow students...no matter how much it was needed." He added quickly with a smirk, before walking away to talk about the objective of today. A ghost of a smile was on Zera's face, but it vanished as fast as it appeared at that statement.

"With that...disturbing moment done, let's talk about our new lesson: Contour lines. They are the neater version of line gesture." Mr. Camo kept continuing his talk about his knowledge of contour lines, and drawing examples of the drawings as well, Zera was a very absorbed into this. In fact, this was just about her favorite class all day!

_"Why does Zeren, Joey, and everyone else find this place a hell house? This place is wonderful!...Well, besides the people, and the bathrooms, which need desperate help in cleaning..."_ She shuddered at the memory, when earlier today she used the bathroom, and found...the oddest thing floating inside the toilet bowl. She nearly hurled at the scene.

"Ok class, your turn to try this. Hopefully you'll all get one before we leave here...And that means you too Ralph, stop texting your mother and work." He added to a certain student named Ralph. You could hear a slight groan escape his mouth,while others around him started to snicker. Everyone knew Ralph only texted his girlfriend (and honestly his mom) 24/7. He sent one last message, shoved his phone into his pocket, and finally started drawing.

Zera had already began to draw like a machine. Carol gave her a look of complete amazement.

"Wow, that is pretty impressive...and on your first try too! Are you a homeschool child? Had a mom of artistic skill?" She asked, not knowing how much that question meant to Zoey. She stopped shading her artwork, and gave a soft, sad look.

"Sure, you can say that. I haven't been to a real school in all of my life, I learned things on my own...at...home..." She pouted for only the slightest second, and continued to work. Carol saw it though, and had a face of regret.

"I'm still, very sorry Zoey, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine Carol, it's really fine." Zoey said, a smile finally appearing on her face once again. Carol let out a sigh of relief, then glanced at the clock.

"Oh, Mr. Camo, school is about to be dismissed. Can we pack up now?" Espio looked over his paperwork, eyes slightly glistening at Carol. Her heart gave a little pound, feeling nervous of being under the eye of her admittedly cute teacher.

"Thank you Carol, I wasn't paying attention to the time. You heard the girl everyone, let's pack it up!" He said, going back to his own paperwork. No one dared to disobey their teacher **or** Caroline, and began to clean up. Someone came around and collected the baskets that held all sorts of pencils. Granted, no one reminded their quiet teacher about their folders. Not that it was that necessary.

"Well class, time sure does fly when your creating. It kinda felt shorter. And as for your work today, place them on my desk." Espio said, going off to the art closet in the back. One by one, everyone placed their work on Mr. Camo's desk. Some had looks of doubt on them, while others didn't have a care. "See you all tomorrow. Hope you all enjoyed your break."

By then, the bell had made her final yell to set the students free from this prison. Everyone began to file out slowly, thankful of the end of the day, but too tired to get out quicker. This wasn't his favorite undercover mission, dealing with ungrateful teenagers. But, every mission came with a good purpose, & a good pay. _"Maybe it isn't __**that **__bad..."_

Espio came back to his desk, and frowned when he saw the pile of drawings he asked of his class. He sighed, already seeing the first one was not very promising. He went through all the future F's, c's and B's like they were cookies, until he laid his surprised eyes on one certain picture.

"Such fine details, prime pencil-ship,...who did this?" He wondered quietly, trying to find this artist's signature.

If he wasn't surprised then, he was choked now.

It was Zoey Allen.

He glanced at the door where this super student just left, then back at her work.

_"I don't remember if I said this already but...This girl...is going to make this place so much more interesting..." _He stated with a glowing smile.

**_ XXX_**

"Where are those fools, they should be here by now!" Rouge asked as she checked her communicator for the 10th time. Rouge, Amy, and Zera had been waiting for Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to come out of the school already. It was almost 5, most of the clubs should have been over by now, but there was no sign of blue, yellow, or red furries anywhere. Sonic had a track and field meeting, Tails had a math lab class, (As an assistant teacher of course), and Knuckles had a wrestling meeting. The girls had waited at an ice cream shop across the school. They had some ice cream, till Amy & Rouge got full on Oreo ice cream. Though Zera, now just experiencing ice cream for the first time & felt like she really hadn't eaten lunch, consumed almost 7 cones of Rocky Road. They then got bored there after awhile, and have been waiting around the school grounds for at least 20 minutes. Rouge had been sending messages to all of them every ten minutes. The sun was slowly merging into the horizon, turning into a beautiful sunset. Amy sat up from under their tree, and looked at the main doors.

"Hey, there they are!" She said happily. The girl turned to see the guys coming out of the main doors. Sonic and Tails where talking to each other, while Knuckles was behind them going through his duffle bag. Rouge sighed with great but bored relief.

"What took you so long? Your past your usual time! I was worried!" Rouge whined, walking right into the embrace of strong, yet soft, bright red arms.

"The meeting got held up a little longer, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Knuckles apologized to her in a soft husky voice. Rouge remained silent, being completely absorbed into the hug. She blushed, burying her embarrassed face into his damp chest. The musk smell of the forest, and the sweet smell of the Master Emerald. The scent she loved so much.

_"Damn you Knucklehead." _She wanted to say. **She** was the one that always teased him. She was the one to make him off focused and flustered. But, when she's in his hold, she was the one that was all shy.

She hated it. And she loved it.

"It's fine Red Boy. Now, where's our orange echidna?" She asked. Everyone finally took note of a certain echidna not amongst them. He was either held up at practice, or in detention.

They assumed the second choice.

"Aww, why Rouge, I didn't think you cared about my well being." Said a voice. Amy and Zera turned around to see a pale grinned Zeren walking towards them. Rouge started to grow a sly smirk on her face.

"Oh, of course I would hun! But, my job lies within my Knuckie. **_YOURS_**, lies within someone else." She stated, indicating to Zeren with her eyes that laid on Zera's occupied form. Zeren blushed, and let a hiss escape his lips softly. Rouge still continued to smirk at this small victory.

"Hey buddy, where's your brother and our silent dark friend?" Sonic asked, seeing the little feud go on between the bat and echidna. Zeren only replied in a shrug.

"Who knows, maybe they went home, or chill at the diner. You guys know how our seniors are." He answered. If Shadow's bike was not present in the parking lot, he was positive that they were at The J's Diner, probably cuz Mum would give them free pie, for it was free Pie Day there.

Yeah, you heard me.

Jackie worked at a diner 20 minutes away (by vehicle) from the school. She loves to cook, especially for others. She's worked there since Joey was 2, and Zeren was just born. Even through the planet switch, Mr. J, the owner of the diner made a new one here on Marnt so all of his employees still kept their job. Jackie obviously did. And she'll keep that job for as long as she can. She had it in the worst times in her life. Zeren snapped out of his train of thought, not wanting think about the dark parts of his cold, dead childhood.

"Umm, Zeren, are you okay? C'mon, we need to get going if we want to get Zera's tests done." Tails said, patting Zeren's shoulder. Zeren casted his eyes out. Rouge, Knuckles, and Amy already left in a surprising fast flash. All who stayed was Sonic, Tails, and Zera. The speedster and the opposed speedster where chatting by the gates. But, Zera wasn't looking at Sonic.

She was looking at **him**.

Her eyes where wide, and held terror in them. And so was something else caught in between both eyes.

Tears?

He swore he heard Zera always being frustrated with her weakness to crying. But, there they were, held in by force. He couldn't piece together why.

"Y-yeah let's get going...Come on you two, let's be on our way." Zeren walked past Zera and her stare. Tails kept in pursue after the young echidna. Sonic started to walk as well, but broke into a great grin. He faced Zera yet again.

"Hey Zera, you want to have a little friendly competition? From here, to our house. You dig?" He had on an exited smile on as Zera's eyes filled with joy at this announcement she's been waiting to hear from Sonic since she met him. She grinned as well.

"I accept your challenge Sonic. Just don't complain when I win."

"Ohh~, your asking for a beat down girlie." Sonic teased, getting into position. She grimaced at the new nickname, but also started to get into position as well. Tails stood right in front of them, along with Zeren.

"Just wait for us by the road, okay you two? Have fun!" He said as he shifted his figure out of their way.

"And be safe." Zeren whispered to them, but mainly at Zera. Sonic rolled his eyes at his over protective friend, while Zera could only nod.

"Oh, and so you don't get lost, our house is like, a left, left, and a right, and a final left. We're stopping at the right to wait for those two slowpokes." Sonic indicated to the blonde fox, and orange echidna. Zera smiled, then nodded, already having the coordinates locked in her head like a photographic memory.

"Ready? On your mark, get set..." Sonic was arching his back upward. Zera took a good inhale of air.

3...2...1...

"GO!" He shouted, heading out the gates like the speedster he is. Zera was barely a beat behind him. Impressive, since no girl could ever catch up to him like that. Only Shadow could ever be side by side with him in a race. Glad he had met another opponent this time that was the opposite sex. He swung his arms behind him like he always does. Zera was pumping her arms up and down at her sides.

_ "And...LEFT!" _She thought, skidding to the side of the road like a skater does when he's racing on the rink in a race. Sonic was mighty impressed, but wasn't about to give up.

The fresh, crisp fall air felt cool, refreshing, and clean against her face. But mostly clean. She had never felt, nor even tasted the sweetness of actual clean air. Not where she came from, clean air was like a myth. The air there...was like a nightmare. But HERE, it felt like freedom. It was blowing freely in her quills. She was enjoying every second of it. Sonic could see that in her eyes. That was his reason for loving running. Just that great feeling of the breeze in your face. The taste of freedom, no one cutting in on it. That's what it felt like to run. Freedom.

The trees, with fresh bright orange, red, and yellow leaves where ripe to fall and play in. Thanks to them, they blew most of them off the trees. Even when a middle aged dog was raking his leaves into a perfect pile in his front yard, till they ran past, and the leaf pile practically blew up with their powerful force of wind. The man was starting to freak out.

"**HEY YOU KIDS! I JUST FINISHED RAKING ALL THAT UP! IT TOOKE ME HOURS TO MAKE IT PERFECT LIKE THAT! GET BACK HERE & FIX IT YA HOODLUMS!" **He continued to scream his little rant, which was very sad in fact. To be honest, Sonic and Zera where chuckling at the man's childish behavior. But, they knew what they should do the right thing.

"SORRY!" They both shouted over their shoulders. But to be fair, they really couldn't turn back to help him. They were already behind schedule as it is. They pushed on down the street.

When the next left turn was fast approaching, Zera had an amazing idea. One that would please her, and amaze her opponent. He was just starting to break out in sweat on his body, while Zera was still all high and dry.

Just when Sonic was breaking the sound barrier, he felt a shadow hover over him. He quickly looked above him.

His breath was just taken away.

Zera had actually been able to **jump** over **him**, **Sonic** , King of Speed, at his **_top_** speed and get ahead of him.

But, he noticed something.

Her entire body was covered in an aura. A bright gray, almost silver aura. As much as he was amazed by this beauty, he was also terrified. Besides his friends, mostly Shadow of all people, everyone was use to freaky things.

But nothing like this.

As they where nearing the said finish line, Zera's aura was getting brighter, her eyes darker. But the worst part of all...

She was still ahead of Sonic.

Ever since that magnificent leap over Sonic's fast form, she had pulled ahead of him inch by inch, and was becoming very pissed off at this. He never lost, he couldn't lose! The **ONLY** time you see lose in a sentence with Sonic's name in it is, "_ Sonic could never lose." _But it looks like that will change soon. But, he wasn't going to give up just yet! He has 1 more trick up his sleeve. With one final burst of energy, he actually started pulling ahead of the hedgehogette. He could finally taste the sweetness of victory yet again, the taste he always loved. He was gonna win.

Well, at least he thought so.

What he thought was victory, was actually a fluke.

Thankfully, Zera's aura had finally vanished from sight, and had tucked back into her. But, that was just a bad thing for Sonic. With it gone, her legs pumped faster than they did earlier again ahead of the blue hedgehog.

And she made the final turn.

Zera had won the race, and gained an even better accomplishment as well.

She had just beaten the greatest racer on the entire planet. The one and only, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Who, sadly, stopped beside her only 5 seconds later. Sweat was all over Sonic's head. He was panting harshly, hands on his knees. His eyes where full of shock and disbelief. Zera, was barely breaking a sweat, & was only panting by very little.

"OK, WHOA! **THIS** , is unbelievable! How did...How did?..." Sonic was so confused, he was trembling while he spoke. He was just as bad as that old dog they passed. Zera had a plain face at his reaction. She was amused by it, but kept her emotions hidden. She shrugged.

"When your already fast enough to break the sound barrier, then experimented on with weird toxins and chemicals from your early life till now, you might get past that. You should try it sometime." She said, a small sad smirk plastered on her muzzle. As much as she was joking, her voice sounded a bit serious about that statement. Sonic finally felt strength to stand up, and fully face Zera. He wasn't done asking her questions **_just_** yet.

"But-but, back there! You had an...an aura, or a magic shield voodoo thingy! Something not normal here! The closest you could get to that is that red glow around Shadow before he does Chaos Blast. Either way, girl, you looked like a magician from ancient times. Or Sorceress, I think that's the correct word for a female wizard. Anyway, that's what you looked like." He explained. Granted, she kinda is with her few, ''certain gifts'', she had. He, nor did anyone else, have any idea, or need to know that...perhaps for the time being...

"That's just...Wow! You really are out of this world!" Sonic said, a smile on his face. The conversation was cut short when they heard a shout.

"Sonic, Zera!" It was Tails. He was hovering using his cute twin tails as a propeller, Zeren jogging behind him. Zera was at a small moment of shock.

"He can fly...with those tails?"

"Heh, your not the only freak show around here Zera!" Sonic joked. Zera nodded, and gave a small smile. She waved as the two came closer. Zeren skidded to a halt next to Zera while Tails landed softly next to Sonic.

"Sorry we took so long guys, we had to help this dog rake his leaves. Apparently two hedgehogs blew it away.. I wonder who they could be." Sonic and Zera shared similar, almost identical looks, and broke out in the same smile at Tails' suspicious look & tone. Tails rolled his eyes, but chuckled either way.

"Well anyway, looks like you guys had fun, seeing Sonic has sweat all over him. So, who won?" Tails was expecting Sonic to say, "She put up a real good fight, but she just couldn't beat the best!" with his usual cocky grin.

But he never heard it.

Tails, and even Zeren, both gave concerning looks to their blue racer. Sonic was avoiding their stares. He couldn't help but let his cheeks glow. He couldn't say it. She wouldn't say it either. She seemed to see the situation of the pride thing, so she didn't say squat to embarrass him by saying so.

But Tails was a genius and knew his brother better than anyone. He smiled a bit.

"Ohh~, don't tell me now, but I'm guessing Zera won, didn't she? My, this is a shocker to us all." He snickered. Sonic was a tomato.

** "5 SECONDS! SHE BEAT ME BY 5 SECONDS!" **He exploded, then got sheepishly quiet. Zeren and Zera stayed silent at this. Tails dialed it down, but not by much. He still had his teasing smile.

"So, how did she beat you old man?" This time, Sonic gave a cold stare at Tails, then at Zeren who was trying to sneak a chuckle under his gloved hand.

"She used this, this magic shield thingy!" He said sound like he wasn't the crazy talking hobo from down the street. Too bad it wasn't working. Tails slowly turned to face Zera now. It was a mixture between fascination, & horror.

"You used an-"

That's when the ground began to shake.

Zera and the guys looked around frantically, trying to find the source of all of this. Earthquake? Landslide? Sonic's ear twitched at a familiar feeling, a sense if you will. No, it wasn't a natural disaster. Sonic looked up just in time to hear a horrible chuckle of someone in a large machine. This guy was the cause.

And he was ugly.

"Eggman." He spat the name acidly in disgust.

" HA HA HA HA HA! Well, hello again hedgehog. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Eggman said in a sinister voice. Tails, Zeren, and Zera looked up to see Eggman in his latest machinery.

"Too long Eggy, thought you forgot about me." Sonic said in a teasing voice. Eggman's smile only grew more hideous.

"Why, I could never forget my greatest foe! And of course his little sidekick of a fox." Tails gave a glare at Eggman. "And also adding that new pet echidna. Makes me miss the old stupid one I loved to manipulate...Oh well, winners can't be choosers, and your close enough in brain power anyway Zeren."

Finally, his dark rimmed glasses laid on a new subject. A new form of hedgehog. He licked his lips in interest.

"My my, who's the girl with you there? New girlfriend?" Eggman asked in an odd laugh. Zeren defensively stood in front of Zera, teeth bared in a venomous snarl. Eggman saw this action, and a horrid grin broke out once again.

"Oh~, I see, she's yours. Well then, I guess I should introduce myself to the young lass. I am Dr. Eggman, evil mad scientist AND genius of Earth, and here on Marnt. It will be fun to fight you, mysterious one." Eggman said as he gave a small bow & a cocky grin in his cockpit. Zera came out from behind Zeren.

"Well then Doctor, it will be a pleasure and honor to be destroying you and your contraptions." Zera said with a smirk. Eggman laughed again.

"HO HO HO, this girl is a hoot! She thinks that she has a chance against me! Alright then girlie, try to defeat me with my latest invention! The Egg-Destroyer 2-V5!" Eggman gave an insane laugh. Zera stared plainly at the Doctor's large, four wheeled green killing machine, then at her friends.

"Does he always give his machines such weak names? Especially after himself?" She questioned. Sonic gave a loud laugh.

"See? She just met you, and she already thinks your lame!" Sonic had to slap his knee at this. Eggman gave a low growl, small veins pulsating in anger on his forehead.

** "ENOUGH FOOLISH TALK! MISSILES GO!" **Eggman hollered as he pressed a button on his control panel. Two large cargo bays opened up on either side of him. Glowing red heads of missiles where staring right at them. 24 in all. 12 on each side.

And four of them were closing in fast on them.

Quicker than anything, Sonic and Zera sped of to the sides while Tails sprung his tails and flew above them, Zeren dangling at his feet and holding on tightly. Eggman was snickering in his seat, happy that he was scattering them. He took hold of his steering controls, and pushed the Egg-Destroyer 2-V5 forward at a fast charge.

**"DIE PATHETIC VERMON, DIE!'' **He screamed at them, his glasses glowing with evil and hate. Sonic and Zera where running around this huge tank with an idiotic name, avoiding and dodging all the fire Egghead was sending at them.

**"DANCE HEDGEHOGS, DANCE!" **Eggman kept pounding them with all the weaponry he had. Guns, missiles, lasers, anything that could end these hedgehogs & their companions forever, he had it.

Zera was not happy of being shot at yet again in her life. She only had a few days of this kind of freedom. Zeren could tell very well that Zera was getting pissed.

Eggman dimed it down a bit after his star crazy shooting time. He was looking around to see if he could fine any shredded or blood splattered remains of blue, black, orange, or blonde fur.

All he got was a face full of fist.

To everyone's surprise, Zera had seemed to have made a giant leap over the Egg-Destroyer 2-V5 and punched **through** the glass that was protecting Egghead, and punched him hard, right in the sniffer. Eggman let out a large loud howl of pain as Zera jumped down and landed next to everyone. Eggman held his nose in great agony as it began to bleed. He sent daggers at the girl.

"**Why you little-YOU SHALL PAY FOR-"**

** "Oh, just shut your lonely kissing hole Doctor! TIME TO DIE YOURSELF!" **Zera said, letting her body be engulfed by her powerful aura once more.

Everyone, including the scared scientist, stared in complete horror as the glowing female hedgehog charged at the 'no one cares if it has half of your name in it' machine with a true warrior yell.

"Damn, when Zera means business, she doesn't joke around. Remind me never piss her off with my teasing."

"Sonic, I don't think you could forget after seeing her like this."

All the guys watched with horror, and amazement as Zera took apart Eggman's huge machine piece by piece. [In Zeren's case, seeing a woman as strong as Knuckles and Shadow **combined** destroying a mad lonely man's machine, was turning him on fast. And his bulge in his pants had proven so].

Eggman, was completely frozen in fear. This...child. This...small girl tearing apart his work like it was butter. Sonic just used homing attacks until it exploded. This girl was making sure there wasn't even a scrap of metal left! He had to get out of there before she tore him apart as well. He pushed a green button on his machine, and Eggman popped out in his escape mini pod.

"Until next time hedgehogs! And **YOU!"** He shouted as he pointed his finger at the rage filled female hedgehog. "I got my eye on you." He said with a sinister sneer. Zera let out a ferocious growl.

**"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, YOU FAT FREAK!" **She screamed just as she threw a huge disconnected piece at Eggman. Lucky for Eggy, he dodged just in time be scaved on the side of the pod. He jiggled at the harsh impact, feeling a jolt of fear go through his spine. He muttered unclear words as his pod buzzed away.

Zera was panting harshly as her aura began to fade away. The guys still couldn't keep their eyes off of the black hedgehogette before them who looked like a **pea** , compared to all the burning destruction that **she** caused.

Her eyes were coming back to their normal state, and she finally faced Sonic, Tails, and Zeren.

"Umm...too much?" She said, her pale cheeks becoming flushed. All they could do was nod.

"Too much? Zera, that was overkill!" Sonic said. Zera hung her head in shame. Now they think she is an insane murdering freak, and never help her...Sonic saw this action, so he stood beside her and patted her shoulder. "Hey now, don't worry about it, that was totally a hardcore way to destroy Egghead's machine! More than I would've done!" He complimented. She slowly lifted her head and looked at Sonic's emerald eyes. She smiled.

"Come on Zera, I **really** want to do those tests on you." Tails said, sounding like a real interested doctor instead of a curious kid one. He took Zera's hand, then looked up at Zera's face. "Zera...your hands...They're...cold." He whispered. That was odd. She was up & trashing well. How could she be cold if she was just burning? Zera's whole body looked paler now, did they all realize. She didn't even try to look at them. To everyone's astonishment and horror, Zera went limp and fell forward. Thankfully, Zeren quickly took action, outstretched his arms, leaned forward, and caught the weak hedgie before she could hit the street.

"H-Help...me..." She murmured as her eyes slowly slid shut.

This just got a whole bunch more serious.

_**XXX**_

* * *

And there you go, a 36 paged chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. It was personally one the author's favorites. I'll let you all think about it.

Well, until next week then! [It's almost 4 in the morning, & I need some sleep. Again, I don't stop working until the chapter is perfect...-yawn-...].

R&R please. I would really like to enjoy seeing more reviews. Getting feedback let's me know that you guys want something more from this story, & I would like to give it to you.

Oh wait! Quick thing. I know that this story is kind of cliché, with a high school setting. It just seemed to fit it's way into the story. & If no one likes Espio's scholar name, then I deeply apologize.

So, again, I expect to see you all & hopefully more here next weekend.

Ta-ta! ~_Ari_


	8. Chapter 8: Family Crisis

Hello everyone, & welcome back. Let's get this carried on, shall we?

**A/N: **I know your probably wondering why I'm updating this so early in the week. Well, my family in New York just got back from their vacation & wanted me, my lil bro, & my mother to visit. (Papi can't, work). We aren't coming back until the 12th. I wasn't sure if my uncle could get me hooked to the Internet at their place & was worried I wasn't going to be able to update this chapter in time. Wasn't going to take any chances, so I'm doing it now, at 2 in the freaking morning when I have to wake up in only 5 hours & 30 minutes. I do it all for you guys..

Alright, on to the review response: To bearvalley3365: Mr. Camo. I just thought that some people would've found it stupid. I still kind of think it is.

I will take that thought into consideration. (Although when I read your review earlier today then read your other review about their description on that story Tails vs Chris Thorndyke, I approved). I found a possible way to squeeze them into my story. Just barely since Chapter 12 is almost done. (If you would call 20 pages left of writing to go almost done)...

Erm, on another note, I would like to hear more about them. Mostly relationships towards people, how they act, things like that. Even when I'm having good memory flashes, I tend to forget things.. I deeply apologize & hope you can forgive me on this since I know how serious you are about them.

Ok then, I've distracted you all quite enough. I'll bring on the usual, & get to business!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Sonic & company. They belong to Sega.

Zera & company belongs to Me.

Please, enjoy! :3

* * *

**Chapter 8: Family Crisis**

"Why are you here Raldo?" Ron said, his fingers tapping against his desk. Raldo let his eyes give a harsh glow, but he calmly sat in the chair in front of his uncle and spoke.

"High Commander Jade sent me here. She feels that...you might make a mistake, or break a code in this mission. This was on her authority, Commander." Raldo said, a mysterious smile growing on his face. Ron glared at the young man before him. So, Jade still doesn't trust him on his own? This woman needed to stop babying him.

"So in better terms, she sent you here to babysit me for she doesn't have complete faith in me. Am I correct?"

"Those where practically her exact words."

**_"Damn that witch, having my own _****_nephew_****_ turn against me yet again!" _**Ron thought bitterly. You see, when you get promoted to become a captain, you have a choice of what commander your assigned to. Of course, Raldo, being young at the time, wanted to choose his uncle. But Jade, had become the High Commander then. And Raldo, being a person who liked to be with a higher rank, left his uncle's side & joined forces with Jade, his nightmare, his enemy. He cleared his throat, seeing as how he was in thought & silence too long.

"Well then, see to it that you don't fail Jade's and my authority." He said, trying to be just as smug. But, you can't out smug, a smugger.

"As much as I respect you, Commander Ron, but Commander Jade has given me a strict order to not listen or follow your orders." He said. Ron was in a state of confusion. Did he really just?...

"Then **WHO**are you suppose to take commands from, exactly?" He asked, his tone getting sharper, and his voice louder. It was easy to see he was outraged. Maybe a little _**too**_outraged. Raldo was avoiding any kind of contact from his boiling uncle. But he quietly admitted the truth.

"I'm...I'm ordered to strictly listen to Captain Ivy, and Lieutenant Miskit. She heard or guessed you would put them in charge of the mission."

**"When I couldn't make or give orders myself! I ****AM**** a commander myself after all, I'm ****very**** busy with many other things, and may not be around to support a mission!" **Ron shot back with full anger, his voice almost dark. In his respect, yes, those where good points on Ron's case. But if Ivy were here, (and thankfully she wasn't), she would happily disagree. In her opinion, Commander Ron does nothing but drink his precious coffee and stare out of the windows. Probably in the most creepy way too. Raldo couldn't come back with, well, a good comeback. He played his cards all wrong as soon as he even sat down in this office. He just sat and stared at his uncle in utter silence. Ron, seeing how weird he has made it, spoke again.

"Well...if that's what that wolf wants, I suggest you don't fail her, me, **AND** the Captain or the Lieutenant. Do I make myself clear nephew?" He said, now looking at the paperwork he needed to fill out before the week was over. He kept writing, though he could feel a strong, yet sad look on himself by Caribbean blue eyes.

"Crystal." He said plainly. He licked his dry lips in dry persistence while looking at the top of his busy uncle's head. "Do you know where I can find the good captain and or the fine lieutenant then?" He blurted out. The Commander had to pause in his writing to think for a moment. He thought up the possibilities of their wereabouts, and continued writing.

"_Is he ignoring my question?" _Raldo thought. He knew Ron had thought little and harshly of him these past few years, but this was childish! He made a sudden tap on the desk. His uncle continued writing.

**Tap.**

No response.

**Tap Tap.**

A slight eyebrow lift.

**Tap Tap Tap.**

Eyes turning into small angry slits.

**Tap Tap Tap Tap.**

Harder grip on pencil.

**Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap.**

Grinding teeth.

**Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap.**

Clutching paper rather harshly.

**Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap Tap.**

Success.

**"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" **The frustrated Commander yelled. Raldo made a grin appear for just a moment, then went back to a serious face.

"What I **want****, **dear uncle, is for you to answer my question I asked you **5 MINUTES AGO!**" He said, going back to being smug. His uncle had a flushed face of annoyed rage. But he took in a deep breath, and relaxed. "Rangle_, don't strangle." _Ron kept saying in his mind. Wasn't really helping, no matter how many times he said it.

"You may find her either in the Control Tower, the Training Facility, or her quarters. I suggest you knock before entering her area though. She might turn you into chopped sushi." Ron said waving a dismissing hand at Raldo, indicating he wanted him out now. Getting the hint of not wanting to be in the presence of his family member anymore, he stood out of his chair.

"Commander." He said quietly, giving him a quick salute. Ron lazily did the same, his eyes leaving the paperwork for a small moment.

"I...best of luck to you. I look forward to be...working with, and for you." Raldo said in an awkward tone, and dismissed himself from the Commander's office. Ron didn't say anything as the door shut behind his nephew and heard his boots grow faint as they walked away from him, almost like he was in a hurry to. He finally said something as he continued to write out his plans & many other details.

"Best of luck to you too, Raldo..." He said ever so quickly, yet there was still gentleness & care behind it all, despite the angry frown that held at Ron's lips.

_**XxX **_

"Alright, Uncle Ron said she could be either in the Control Tower, the Training Facility, or in her quarters. I really hope I don't have to enter in a woman's quarters again..." He shivered remembering the creepiness and fear he felt when he was in Jade's quarters. He felt the dangers too.

_ Women are strange, no matter WHAT they are. _

Raldo, strangely remembering how to get his way around the huge base, calmly continuing his slow journey to the Control Towers. Upon arrival, his face felt a blast of hot air against it. He blinked his eyes at this sudden splash of heat.

There was a humongous device in the center of the room, glowing like the sun. Though, it was a different shade of red & orange than the sun originally was. The pulsating light was almost blinding as Raldo got closer. He saw the people around him were wearing a special suit to actually touch & work the machine. He saw a few spare ones hanging in the corner near the entrance. He quickly slipped through the crowd, & put on the realistic pale yellow and orange suit. The case like helmet blocked out most of the searing light. He was getting highly curious of this, so he walked up to a random scientist to confront.

"Excuse me Ma'am, I'm Captain Raldo. I was assigned to the "Project" Mission. I was looking for Captain Ivy and Lieutenant Miskit, but I would quickly like to know...what is all of this?" He questioned. The woman smiled a bit.

"**_This_****_,_** Captain Raldo, is a device we made 2 years ago in a mission to help track down an escaped prisoner. It was precisely made to find, and feel, **any** kind of alien workings, magic, power, or a force they use used to travel or warp." She explained, writing down some things on her clipboard that would be too complicated for a regular person. Raldo nodded in understanding, remembering that in his dimension, they had a device quite like this. _"Though maybe ours is more advanced.'_ Raldo thought in a show-off manner.

"But, why is it glowing like that? And that harsh radiation beating against us. Without these suits, would it effect us to kill us? I don't mean to pry Dr..." He looked at the ID tag plastered on her suit. "Oh, Dr. Martinez! I guess your Hispanic. But still, may you explain this to me? We have similar technology at home, but yours works differently." Dr. Martinez gave a small smile, and pointed to the device.

"Well, the A.M.C, or in its full words, Alien Matter Conductor, works in a simple way." She started as they were strolling towards the large mechanism. Upon getting a closer look, he saw the small blue, green, purple, and red buttons everywhere on the large panel.

"With all those buttons Dr. , I don't think that's a simple way." He said in a joking matter. Dr. Martinez gave out a small, yet sweet chuckle at this.

"Well, you thought wrong, Captain. _Those_buttons are just for show, & to confuse the new interns. They aren't even connected with the device at all. But no, **these**are the real controls." They went around to the other side of the A.M.C and saw the main panel.

All it was was a joystick, a small screen, and on the pad.

"It's quite easy to understand this technology, though this is too simple for me. I'm way more advanced for this. I just like advanced things, it feels like a challenge. Here, let me give you a little demonstration." She said proudly. She gave Raldo her clipboard, with him glancing down at her notes with so many numbers and formulas, he couldn't even cope to try and understand it.

"You see Raldo, I could set this thing at a range. Say, I want to sweep the area north from this base for, say about 20 miles." She typed in 20 on the number pad, and sent the joystick on an upward position. The machine started to make a loud humming noise. It was soft & gentle, but still concerning. Being paranoid, Raldo took a large step back. The A.M.C started glowing brighter than it did earlier. Seeing as no one was paying any mind, probably because they're use to it. It continued to shine, then complete went dim. The Captain gave a puzzled look at the device, at Dr. Martinez, then the device again.

"Was...was that suppose to happen?" He had a voice that was a soft one, as if trying not to offend her. She nodded.

"Your correct Raldo. You see that opening, at the middle of the ceiling, just above the A.M.C? A small signal beam is sent from the device into it, which uses it's radiation to detect alien activity. It's like, a cat sniffing out the scent of a field mouse." She added in simple terms. Raldo had an "aha!" face moment then. He smiled down at the female scientist.

"Well, thank you for that interesting show, Dr. I found it most interesting. I'm actually quite fond of this type of work. I would like to discuss more with you...perhaps over lunch?" He asked, his voice sounding kind and charming. And he didn't mean it to. Dr. Martinez cheeks gained a glow. She was glad that the glass on her suit was dark enough to hide it from his view.

"M-my, aren't you a gentlemen, though still a young captain. Sure, I'll try & make my free lunch hour to yours." She suggested. He nodded as he handed her her clipboard.

"That's a nice offer, but I don't want you to miss out on your job. How about this weekend? A nice café in the neighboring town, 3:30?" He said. Dr. Martinez gave a small smile, & nodded swiftly.

"I would like that very much, Captain Raldo."

"Perfect. Now, if you excuse me, I must go find Captain Ivy and Lieutenant Miskit. Continue with your wonderful work." He said as he walked back to the hooks to put the suit away. Dr. Martinez, having a sudden thought, came up behind him.

"You know, your so much like your uncle." She said just as he was at the door. Raldo had to pause at this. His uncle, Commander Ron, the man he hasn't seen eye to eye since...

"Really, I am? I **_hardly_******see a good resemblance to him." Raldo muttered, already finding this conversation unappealing. But Dr. Martinez shook her head in disbelief.

"On the contrary Captain, you & your uncle are similar in ways you both may not notice."

"Really? Do tell me then. I would love to hear this." He stated.

"Well, you **_both_******tend to speak with people directly...A little too direct with everyone. Straight to the point. And you guys call us by a direct name. For example, you call me Dr. Martinez or just Doctor. But, you can just call me Lily. You both don't like being ignored, and liked to be filled in...Shall I go on? There's still much to discuss." She said with a smirk. Oh, how she loved to be right. Raldo had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from saying that all wasn't true.

But it was.

As much as he hated to admit it, but she was right. He didn't notice it at first, but while he played his other encounters and facts about his uncle in his head, it all made sense.

And it pissed him off.

"Err, no...I guess you have some points on that Dr. But you can't say a thing about our appearance." He stated, suddenly feeling like he was winning this. But the good doctor had just made it a crushing defeat for him.

"By looks, no, you have your father's features. Strong handsome eyes ready for anything. Strong arms & shoulders. That fluffy brown mop you call hair." She just had to ruffle his head as an example. "You are your father's son after all...He was a great man, & I hope he was an even greater father..." She said quietly. Raldo couldn't say anything about the mention of his father. He **was**a great man, & an even greater parent. Even after the loss, he couldn't agree with the fact that his father was gone. In fact, he still believed his dad lived. He lived inside of...

_"Don't even think about him Raldo, just don't. You thought that __then__, but __this__, is __**now**__." _His conscience said. Raldo sighed a bit. Yes, that was all in his past, and he'll live in the now...

"But..." Dr. Martinez pressed on. "Your father, your uncle, and yourself are the same in body. Like I said you all like to stand proud and tall. Either you'd hold your hands properly behind your back like an attentive man, or they'd be in front of you for conversations. You all have that habit." She giggled as she pointed out Raldo's posture. Sure enough, he had his hands firmly on his back. He blushed, and put his arms across his chest. She had to grin at how cute he was.

"Continue Lily."

"And your eyes. I don't know why, but whenever you would look at any of your eyes, there's this catch, or spark in them. Mostly your uncle & father had this...You still need time to have a complete spark in yours." She let out a chuckle. "Now I know your father had most of the looks; But Commander Ron...Oh my Lord, his _ojos_..._muy bonito. _Could just melt a girl's heart under them..." She said, sighing in a dreamy tone.

_**"PLEASE **__don't tell me...she swooning on Uncle Ron..." _Raldo thought, kinda disturbed at the thought. In truth, yes, his father was the handsome brother, but Ron wasn't that bad either. Best word to describe the 47 year old who was aging fairly...:Cute. Yes, even grown adults would call each other cute. Raldo tried focusing at the situation at hand.

"Ok, ok Dr., your making good points I never noticed...nor wanted to think of.." He muttered that last part quietly. Smiling like she made a change, Martinez nodded.

"I'm glad your seeing it. I know, you & Ron are at differences right now, but maybe a chance to understand each other may strengthen your bond together...Just think about it, ok?" She said softly. Raldo didn't have any words. He bit his bottom lip again in thought.

"Maybe later, I'll think about it..." He decided. Dr. Martinez nodded in understanding. She was just about to close off the doors when a hand laid gently, but firmly on the door. She looked up to meet Caribbean blue eyes.

_"Your slowly getting the spark Raldo, keep trying..." _She thought slyly.

"My final question, Dr. Lily & I'll leave you to your work.. Do you know who or where I can find Captain Ivy & Lieutenant Miskit?" He asked.

"Oh, they where just here giving a speech about the mission about an hour ago. I believe I heard Ivy said they were going to the Training Facility. I would think they would still be down there, knowing how much Ivy likes to train herself raw. That girl really is something else..." She said that last part more to herself than to Raldo. "Well, good luck with your search Captain Raldo."

"Thank you Dr. Martinez, and good luck in finding Project 203. And remember, our date is this weekend, in the neighboring town, 3:30pm. Don't be late." He said with a boyish grin as he strode away with grace. She shook her head, but in a good way with a sweet smile growing on her face.

"Yes, it's a date Raldo..." She said in a tiny voice, finally shutting the heavy doors, & getting back to her serious self.

_** XxX**_

"HEEYAH!" Ivy yelled as she made a hard kick to Miskit's leg. Luckily, he flipped backwards and avoided a harsh injury. He took a good battle stance & wiped the warm sweat off his face.

This was great!

Since this mission is at a calm moment & no reports have come in, Ivy & Miskit decided to train with each other. He wanted to see her moves. (That, and he couldn't **wait **to see her in those black shorts and tank top she loves wearing when training. Also information on her blog).

Ivy was panting like a dog, her chest heaving up & down. Her face, arms, and legs were covered in a sheet of sweat. Her hair was tied in a bun, though a few strands fell gently on her face. He was really loving this training session.

"Your pretty good Miskit." Ivy said, trying to burn down the silence of their pause. She grinned a bit, as well did Miskit.

"You aren't half bad yourself Ivy. Some moves of yours aren't even taught to the elite force. I should know, I teach our elite force for hand to hand combat! Maybe that's why your the captain around here." Ivy chuckled. He's still the interesting fellow she knew for awhile. Even promising.

"Well then, show me what your teaching our elite force. I've been waiting for a good challenge since I joined this organization." She said in a spirited voice. Miskit smirked just as he charged at Ivy this time & tried giving her a fast uppercut to her face. She barely ducked in time to have her collar bone hit instead of her chin. She took this opportunity to slide her leg under him, tripping him, and sending him flat on his back in a thud. She quickly pinned him with her arms & legs. Miskit had his breath nearly knocked out of him. Her small gold chain necklace in her name, was dangling just above his nose. If he could just move his head further up, he just might check a glimpse of something he wanted to see for quite awhile now...

"Was that all you got Miskit? That was more street fighter than elite worthy." She smirked down at him. He suddenly had a plan that could surely get him to win, and have a closer bond with Ivy than before. He kept a straight face.

"Yes, perhaps...But **_this_******isn't." He said as a sneaky grin formed on his face. He lifted his knees under her belly, & actually **flung**her upwards getting her off of him. She was taken aback, but cracked a smile. She did a series of backflips, landing perfectly only 15 feet away from the Lieutenant.

"Very impressive Lieutenant Miskit, that really was elite worthy." She said with a small chuckle. Miskit stayed at his position with sharp eyes, herself doing the same. They didn't move, nor did they speak. It was a quiet, breathless moment. It continued until they both charged at each other straight on. Kicks, punches, and flips happened in one fast blur. Blow after blow, neither opponent showed a sign of weakness. Ivy & Miskit's one arm were locked on together like 2 light sabers locked together in a duel.

"It looks like none of us might win this training session, Lieutenant." Ivy heaved out, the force of Miskit's arm trying to crush her own was unbearable. She was almost considering to give up. But the Lieutenant had other plans.

"On the contrary Captain, I think I can wrap this up quickly." He said in a sly manner. He started to press down on her harder. Ivy was clenching down on her teeth, trying to gain back momentum to force Miskit back. It was no use. Miskit now saw his chance, moved his free hand under her underarm &-

"HA HA HA HA, ST-STOP IT Lieutenant, HA HA HA HA, I-I C-CAN'T TAKE IT AN-ANY-HAAA, HA HA!"

That's right.

Captain Ivy is ticklish.

She fell on the floor holding herself together, giving out small chuckles from time to time. When it seemed that her laughing fit stopped, & the fuzzy feeling on her sides seemed to fade, he held out his hand to help her up. She gripped it, & he sprung her up.

"That wasn't fair Miskit, you cheated!" She exclaimed, adding a small pout. It was too cute for Miskit to handle that he had to look away for a second before coming up with a good response.

"Oh dear little Ivy, have you forgotten? You can **_always_******win a battle by finding your opponent's weakness." He stated, bending the word a little. Ivy had a moment to pounder at that grasp of information, tapping her cheek. She turned to him then.

"Fine, I see your point. But until the **next**time we battle, I **will**have found out your weakness Lieutenant Miskit. **Mark. My. Words.**" She said in a hard, but teasing voice. Miskit had to chuckle at this.

_"Sweet Ivy, you've already found it...It's you..." _He thought to himself. In all honesty, he should've said that to her.

"Excuse me, but...are **you**Captain Ivy & Lieutenant Miskit?!" A voice at the doors said, interrupting their conversation. Ivy turned to look at the unexpected guest.

Her heart completely stopped.

Just only across the training room from her was probably the most beautiful man she had seen in her life. His eyes were a deep Caribbean blue. Fluffy brown hair that looked so soft enough to make you dream was settled nicely on his head. His skin, not too pale, looked so soft & silky from where she was standing. Soft kissable looking lips were in the shape of a warming smile, that she couldn't help but smile back at them.

_"He's absolutely perfect!" _She screamed in her head. He seemed very attentive. Well built too, she had to add. Not too muscular, just a cute skinny guy kind of muscular. His arms where placed firmly at his sides, & dark sleek combat boots at a face forward position.

"Yes sir, we are. I am Lieutenant Miskit, and the young woman beside me is Captain Ivy." Miskit finally said. Ivy could only nod, trying not to stare so hard at...what is his name?

"Oh, thank the sisters I finally found you both! You have no idea how hard it was to get people to answer a simple 'where are they' question." He chuckled as he started to walk towards them. Ivy's heart sprung to life with panic as he was approaching. She tried to curl her hair in her fingers in a cute manner, but her hair was messy & was starting to smell bad. She felt like she was going to hurl chunks at everyone. Only a few feet away from then now, he outstretched his hand towards Miskit, much to Ivy's relief.

"Well, I'll just introduce myself. I am Captain Raldo of N.U.G, right hand to High Commander Jade of Veron. I was sent here as another charge to help you all with the Project Mission...that, & to keep an eye on Commander Ron..." He spoke in a less hearty voice during the last sentence as he was shaking Miskit's hand. Bells went off in Ivy's head as the name 'Raldo' struck her ears.

"Oh, so your Raldo McDemin. I've heard of you from your uncle. He speaks very highly of you." Ivy finally said, as she finally looked at Raldo. He was in a moment of shock from those simple little words.

_"Uncle Ron...thinks highly of me? This is news to me."_ This was a complete surprise to him. He thought his uncle disowned him, hated him, had no care for him...But now, he's hearing words of actual **_kindness_******from him?

_"Dr. Martinez is right...my uncle was willingly able to start showing a good side to me again, & I shall do the same..." _He turned to Ivy.

"My uncle spoke highly of you as well. I am looking forward to be working with you, & the good Lieutenant here." He said, shaking Ivy's hand. He stroked the back of Ivy's hand with his thumb, held her hand close to his face, & kissed it. Oldest gentleman trick in the book, but a classic to use. Hey, if it was the best, why wear it out, huh?

Ivy had butterflies.

Miskit, on the other hand, had daggers in his eyes. _"How __**DARE**__ he kiss her hand before I do!" _He grumbled in his mind. He could feel his conscience planning away at this admittedly charming action.

"W-why thank you, Captain McDemin. I never really thought he cared, or that you bothered to listen to Commander Ron..."

_"Seriously, I can't believe it! Ron, the man I disliked since day 1, spoke of me like I was a queen to his hot nephew? Tuesdays are officially the days of revealing things..." _Ivy thought sharply. Raldo chuckled.

"Of course I would care. When Commander Ron speaks highly of someone with high gratitude, I can't help but listen & quickly become interested with that person." He said with a smile. Truth be known, he isn't lying. But that's also the bad thing. Raldo had this unhealthy flaw that he never knew he had. He was drawn to power. Any kind of power, he went after it. Why did you think he went with Jade instead of his beloved family member? She was the most powerful person in the entire sister unit! But he didn't see it that way. He said it was a sign of respect. Ivy didn't see it either. All she knew was Raldo had a sudden interest in her, & that's all that mattered right now.

That, and a good shower.

"Well, it was very nice to talk with you. As you can see, me & the Lieutenant here had just finished a long training session. I should probably go up & shower, but we'll speak soon, is that okay?" She asked as she grabbed her face towel & her uniform bag. Raldo gave a short bow.

"It would be an honor, Captain Ivy." Raldo said, with a small glint in his eyes. Ivy smiled & headed past Raldo and Miskit and walked out the door.

"Urrgghh, that was a complete fail! I just **had**to state the obvious! I'm such an idiot, I hope he didn't notice that. I would've died of complete embarrassment if he did." She muttered angrily as she was heading towards her living quarters.

Up and down the many halls throughout the entire base did she travel. Her own living space was on the other side of it, much to her displeasure, as most of the soldiers that wanted to live here did as well.

"Hey, Ivy!" Someone had called her name. Ivy recognized the voice, waited a few moments, & let her only other best friend (besides Miskit), Merlinda, jog beside her. "Oh girl, you reek! Did you just come from the Training Facility?" She asked. Ivy rolled her eyes & nodded, looking at her best friend.

Merlinda was just 2 feet taller than Ivy. She had dark brown eyes that can shine brightly in any light. Her hair was a dirty blond, nice & long. But it was in a braided ponytail at the moment, so it was swishing side to side as they walked. She was tanish, mostly because she worked outside most of the time.

She wasn't in uniform at the moment as well. All that she was wearing was a dark green sleeveless shirt, and camouflage pants. She had those regular work boots that her adopted father shipped to her 2 months ago.

"Girl, you really need to go shower, you might as well be a bug repellent against men." Merlinda continued. It was a funny joke that made her chuckle, but Ivy didn't.

"I hope I wasn't..." She muttered under her breath. But Merlinda had ears sharper than a fox. She caught on to it as soon as those words escaped her friend's lips.

"Ohhh~, and why is that?" She said slyly. Ivy knew she would catch onto her..

Just not that fast.

"No reason, just don't wanna smell like a potcake..." Ivy said casually. Merlinda made a pout as her friend avoiding her question at hand. Time to kick it up a notch. She stepped in front of Ivy, staring her dead on. Ivy, being surprised at this, took the challenge. For a few minutes, none of them moved or blinked. Until finally Merlinda started to smile, & broke out into a joyful cheer.

"I KNEW IT! YOU'RE TOTALLY CRUSHING ON SOMEONE!" Merlinda squealed. Ivy, having panic shoot up & down her spine, clamped her hand over her mouth. She quickly slipped it off with an 'eww' when Merlinda licked at Ivy's hand for freedom. Ivy wiped the warm saliva against Merlinda's bare arm. This time she said an 'eww' at this disturbing action. But, being friends since 2nd grade, they burst out laughing. Passing soldiers & scientists would only give them a look of confusion & concern, then continue on with walking to their stations or posts. Their job was more important than watching some girls laughing their eyeballs out.

"Ok, fine, I admit it, I like someone. Happy now?" Ivy said, still full of giggles. "Just keep it quiet Linda." She added with a whisper. Linda, which was Ivy's one nickname for Merlinda besides Merly and Merlin, nodded at her.

"Soo, who's the guy that's worthy of being crunched on~?" Linda sing-songed. Ivy held her small fluffy purple towel closer to her chest. She really hoped she wasn't blushing then...

"Umm...Cmhmm Mhmm..."

"Exsqueeze me!? I didn't **quite**catch that Iv." A joking smile was forming at her lips now.

" Cmhmm Mhmnm..." She said in her most quiet voice, trying to let & not allow Merlinda to hear her.

"Just one more time dear."

"Hmph. Captain Raldo of Vermon. He's working with me & Miskit on the mission, & he is completely h-o-t cute!" Ivy sighed dreamily, imaging that perfect face of his once again. Merlinda started to lose her bubbly face, and went to a more serious one.

"Wait...Raldo...As in, Raldo McDemin? The apprentice of the High Commander, Jade?" She asked, almost nervous.

"Yeah...why?" She answered, not liking the sudden change of personality of her friend.

"Well...I don't think that's a good idea, to be crushing on someone who's with a higher rank. You have 3 medals, which is very impressing for someone who has been working here for only a few months. He has 5, one for each year he's been serving here. Plus, don't you find it weird, I mean he is **Ron's**flesh and blood. You want to date the man you hate with a burning passion's nephew?" Merlinda continued. Ivy was a statue.

"Wait, how do you know so much about Raldo? Especially about his family ties? Ron doesn't like it when people know about his family life." Ivy pointed out. Merlinda stared blankly at her shorter friend for a moment.

"Since when do **you**care about what Ron says or commands? I thought you disliked him."

"Stop avoiding the question Merly, just answer it."

"Ivy..." She sighed deeply, putting a hand to her forehead. "Alright, alright fine. Just...don't get hurt by this, ok?" She paused to sneak a look at Ivy. She gave a nod, & Linda continued. "Raldo & me go way back, even before you & me met and become best friends... Raldo was in fourth grade, I was in first. Had recess one day, & the bullies ganged up on me yet again..." She blinked away a few tears that wanted to escape her sad, wet brown eyes. "As you may remember, they allowed grades to mix on the playground. So...Raldo McDemin came to my rescue, stopped the bullies, told their teachers, & became my hero." She started to smile at the happy part of this memory.

~_**XxX**_

**_We became good friends after that. We always played together on the playground. I'd always go to his games, he would always comes to my plays & concerts. I even started to have a tiny crush on him as the months went on. I was going to tell him one day but...then _****_it_****_ happened._**

___Small crying was heard from behind the slide in it's shadow'. A small 1st grader crawled underneath it to see her older best friend, weeping terribly._

_ "Raldo? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She had the sweet voice of a kitten, though this voice was filled with worry more than milk this time._

_ The little boy looked up from his crying session at the young Merlinda with bloodshot eyes. "Mer-Merlinda...I...I..." He started to sniff, & cried all over again. Merlinda quickly started to wrap her small arms around Raldo's torso to comfort him._

_ "Just tell me Raldo, tell me what's wrong."_

_"He's dead...he's dead & now he's gone forever..." Raldo managed to speak out before breaking down again. Merlinda was at a loss to what to say._

_ "W-who Raldo, who?"_

_"M-my fa-father...General Mike McDemin...h-he went on a top secret mission...& his entire team failed...All returned...but not my dad...Uncle Ron...was with him, & saw him be killed when dad was trying to get his team to safety..."_

_ Merlinda looked at her crying friend again & she even started to cry._

_ "I'm so sorry Raldo, I really am...But, it will all get better, you'll see.."_

_** "BETTER?! HOW COULD IT GET ANY BETTER!? I JUST LOST ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE TO ME IN MY LIFE!" **__He shrieked into his hands at her. She was stunned by this outburst. She did understand though. She knew the pain of loss. She __**did**____lose both of her parents, so she did now what he was feeling. She started to stroke his back & then his hair. When he had finally calmed down, his puffy eyes were dead straight on Merlinda's form. "How...how will it get better?" He asked. She licked her lips nervously for a second, looked at him, sat a bit closer and..._

_ Kissed him._

_ They finally pulled apart. His tears came to a stop at last, & he could only stare at the girl he knew for only most of the school year, who had a smile in her eyes, but her mouth made no movement. He slowly, and ever so carefully, moved his hand up and..._

_ Slapped her._

_ She held her cheek in an instant, still feeling a stinging pain he delivered, & even felt warm blood beginning to emerge. Her eyes filled with soft tears, showing hurt & confusion. He had the exact same look on his face as well. She wanted nothing more than to cry right then, but didn't. It was an awkward moment. Raldo slowly stood up & dusted the mulch off of his pants. He gave his last, final stare at her._

_ "No, that didn't make it better..." He said in barely a whisper. Her eyes went wide with horror as he ran away from her. Forever._

_**We haven't spoken to each other since that day. He did invite me to the funeral though, since I actually liked and knew his father, for I only met him...once. That was in May, all those years ago. The summer of that school year, I wanted to say sorry to him about what I did before he left for school at the intermediate school next school year. But his mother said he wasn't home, even when he was when he would look out the window at me when I would go back to my house...We never lied to each other, & we told each other everything...I guess we weren't so close after all...**_

**_XxX_**

Ivy could only stare at her best friend who had poured her sad tale to her. Merlinda wasn't making any contact with her & for once, Ivy allowed it.

"That's why you shouldn't crush on Raldo...he still may be hurting..." An alarm beeped from her pocket just then. She took out her communicator. Break time was over. "Just...think about it okay?" Linda said as she ran off back outside.

Ivy watched her leave, & headed off to her quarters. She walked over to the main elevator that lead to the top rank rooms & offices. Ivy's was on the top of course, being the second hand running this place. She pressed the button, & the large titanium doors came to life & split open, allowing Ivy to enter. She stepped in, glad no one was in to smell her sweaty self. The doors closed, and she pushed the button that lead to the top floor. It skyrocketed upwards, a 'ding!' every time it passed a level.

Finally it came to a stop, & released Ivy to her destination. She only glanced to the side to her work space, then headed towards her own living space. She put in the ID card, and opened the door flicking on her lights. She carefully placed her bag near the door. She was lucky she was a captain. She had the free privilege to create her sleeping quarters any way she wanted, while some of the lower ranks got stuck with what ever room they got.

The walls were a light tan, bright enough to match Merlinda's skin tone. Her ceilings matched up with black. (All the rooms had a black ceiling, for it was a bullet proof type, but painted black so enemies who broke in couldn't blow them up & escape. Or...so she's heard). She placed her boots next to her bag, & rubbed her socks against the dark chocolate rug.

"Now then, time for that shower." She stated, heading towards her bathroom. She striped down to nothing as soon as she got in the bathroom. She undid her bun, & let her sleek hair bounce down against her shoulders. She put the green hair tie on the sink counter, turned on the shower, & stepped inside. The first thing she reached for was the shampoo. As she began to wash out her hair, her mind was going off in several different places. _"Should I heed Linda's advice? Should I just stop liking Raldo? Or...does she just want me to back off cause...she still has feelings for him?" _Ivy thought as she rinsed out her hair. "No, Merlinda is your best friend, she wouldn't do that!" Her heart was saying...but her brain doubted it.

She sighed as she grabbed the soap and began to lather up her body. _"Linda was surprised when I said he was working here...Should I show her the papers now to help her forget about all of this?" _She thought. No, now would be too soon. Finally rinsing herself off, she turned off the shower faucet, wrapped her body & hair in a towel, then stepped out of the bathroom. Steam that was trapped inside the bathroom fell upon the carpeted floor. Just then, a beep came from her phone. Confused, yet tired, she leaned over to her bed and grabbed it. She looked at the caller: Mom. She smiled, just now thinking about talking to her about Linda. She put the device to her ear. "Hey Mom."

"Sweetie, what have I told you to call me when I'm at work?" Her mother replied. Ivy just rolled her eyes in a teasing way. How was she suppose to know that she was at work? She called her, not the other way around. She would comply to her mother's wish anyway, if only to amuse her.

"Okay, okay...Hello, Dr. Martinez." She said.

* * *

There we go! Chapter 8, 32 pages. I hope that will satisfy your hunger until next weekend! I personally love this chapter. So far out of all the human chapters, I do love this one. Annoyingly again, that's all up to you.

If you thought that Merlinda's flashback was...well, just something else, please let me know. There's going to be a lot of flashbacks throughout this story, & I want each & every one of them to be the most interesting to you all. I just wanted to know if my flashbacks need improving.

So, that's all I need to say. Just to entertain you until we meet again, here:

Please be here next time in **Chapter 9: Who's Fault Was It?**

There. Please, R&R. _~Ari_


	9. Chapter 9: Who's Fault Is It?

Welcome back everyone!

You have no idea how sorry I am for posting this story so late.

Explanation: My laptop has serious damage to it. Like virus bad. I need a new one. (Which would be more of a suggestion towards my father if he'll be willing to get me one. It's a bit stable, (more or less), but as much as I loved this one, it needs to go. I did try to upload this chapter like 20 in the past 6 days.

You have no idea how pissed & insane I went when it didn't upload. I even slammed my face into my bed, & a wall...

News: I am finally going on my family vacation. Going to Universal Studios in less than 16 hours. Will be returning the 31st.

This would be the part when your hopes start rising, thinking I'll post the next chapter when I get back, right?

Wrong.

I actually still have some reading & (if dad thinks so) cleaning & shopping to do for school. So there really isn't time for me to post chapter 10.

Now don't worry, I still have a game plan for this.

Game Plan: I will post Chapter 10 the following weekend after the first week of school. But here it is in simpler terms- If I don't have chapter 10 up by the 7th, know that it was either a technical problem if I don't get a new laptop by then, &/or homework casted a spell on me.

Reviews- To bearvalley3365: Well, thank you. I just really appreciate having people, well, appreciate my work. It makes me feel like it's worth it.

And my gratitude for the info. They are definitely worthy to be in my story. Anything else I should know? Like how their voices are, any accents, etc.? And any certain jobs, like a waiter, club owner, wrestler, store owner, etc.? I just want to get them perfectly if they are going to fit in the part I have for them perfectly. It's just how serious I take characters.

OK, I'm done flapping my trap.

**A/N: Sonic characters belong to Sega.**

**Zera characters belong to Me.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Who's Fault Was It?**

"**OW, **Zeren stop, that hurts!" Zera yelped out. Zeren & Zera were inside of Tails' lab. Zera was on the steel examination table with Zeren hovering above her. The doors were firmly shut to block any of their conversation to the others. It was actually a hallway that connected the house & the lab together. The entire lab area was white, with the exception of some blue prints scattered on the walls and desks. Devices and tools littered everywhere as well. Sonic would always complain that Tails should keep this place organized, but the young genius couldn't see it that way. He feels that it **IS**tidy, but only in the way he could see it. Zeren couldn't complain though, he knew what Tails meant. But here's a thing he couldn't handle.

It was hard enough to keep Zera from fainting in his arms as he was carrying her inside when she collapsed after her battle with Eggman. He had to keep shaking her body in his arms every time she was close to fainting when they were headed down the street. [Though, it wasn't that he didn't like it. In fact, he loved that close contact jog with her, without having that feeling she was hating it or him for a change!] But dealing with her complaining at their situation right now, wasn't floating his boat at the moment. Maybe he should have waited until she was ready to do this, it was too fast in the first place...

"Well, sorry, but these types of things aren't gonna be soft like a kitten. They hurt." Zeren explained. Zera gave off a small pout.

"I don't want it to **hurt **at **_ALL_**. Please, be more gentle." She mumbled. Zeren sighed. This is worse with dealing with a 7 year old child rejecting her parents cause she didn't want to eat her vegetables.

"You think I wasn't gentle when we started? I'm always gentle!" He argued. Zera looked up at Zeren, and grew a smirk.

"That's not what Jackie told me." She snickered in a whisper, but loud enough for Zeren to hear. He glared at her for a moment, then went a little deeper inside of her.

"**AHHHH~!" **She said in a sharp gasp, NOT expecting that sudden shove. Zeren then chuckled in victory. Then again, doing this **did**have its perks...

"Watch what you say Zera. Remember, I'm still in charge here." He said, but there was still a soothing tone to it.

"Hmph. For **now**echidna, **now**. But once we get out of here & back at your house, I'll show you what this hedgehogette can **_really_******do." She stated with a small sly smile. She whimpered when he pressed in a little more. She was panting, & her cheeks were getting flushed.

"Then I can't wait until we get back to **_our_******home. Don't be modest Zera, you'll be with us for a while. You can call it your home." Zeren said, getting serious for a moment. She shook her head.

"Zeren, I can't call any place, or call this place home & you -**OH!- **know it!" She had to moan as he purposely went deeper. She glared at him. "Fine, I will...Now do me a favor & **PLEASE STOP MAKING THIS SO PAINFUL!"**

"OK! Ok! Um...I got it!" He began to stroke her gently and softly. _"Skin...looks great, and feels like soft velvet! Ah~" _Zeren was in heaven. If only he could pet her charcoal dark fur. Or he beautiful face. Her cheeks. Her legs. Her-

_"Ok, get a bit ahead of myself here...Just stay calm, & everything will be okay..."_

"Does that feel better now?" He said in a calm soothing voice. She was avoiding eye contact with him, he could now tell. She was staring dead ahead of her. Eyes keen on the white doors that lead to the house. They had a look of begging escape, as if Zera was finding this complete torture. For her, yes, but for him, not at all a punishment. But he didn't like the fact that she was ignoring his question **AND**touch. He started stroking her a little harder. Her silver eyes widened a bit, & bit her lip.

"Oh~, I see now, your trying not to break out in pleasured sounds." He said slyly, his eyes glowing a bit. Her muzzle was bright enough as it is. He stopped stroking her to do a little test. Instantly the searing pain struck back inside her. She let out a tiny, but audible doggy whine escape her lips. Zeren chuckled at this. She truly was a girl of confusing, but innocent character. He started to stroke her again and he felt her muscles relax. He smiled at the female hedgehog underneath him.

"Well, I don't want Sonic or Tails seeing me so...open." _"Did that even sound right?"_ She sighed. Zeren had a configuring look on his face, trying to think of a way to reassure her. He slowly moved his stroking hand on her head, & began to pet her. Her breath began to cut short, but she actually started to purr. He had to smile at this. As much as he knew about his distant cousin species the hedgehog, hedgehogs are also related to cats. They share similar traits. He now fully assumed that purring is one of them.

"Don't worry Zera, no one else but me will see you like this. I promise." He said in a charming voice. She gave out a moan, then a small mew when he started to stroke behind her one ear. It was either a hedgehog weakness, or her own. He'll have to test this later on Sonic. He was pretty sure the speedy devil would hit him for it though...He never did like anyone touching his ears.

"Ok...I'm ready. You may proceed Zeren." Zera uttered after awhile. Zeren, glad she was finally relaxed, looked down at her again, trying to show a positive side.

"Are you sure Zera? Has the pain gone away?"

"Yes. As you said, the pain is fading away, and little bubbles of pleasure are popping up." She stated.

"Ok...If you feel like your gonna whimper or whine again..." He let his voice trail off on purpose, which thankfully she did catch. She then cut him off.

"Are you kidding? I had to do this before, much to my displeasure...Just not in a while, & have forgotten how it felt." She said slyly. _"Oh, that did feel embarrassing to say, & even worse to admit to a mere mortal..."_

"Well, start remembering, cause here we go." He said, staring his shoving process all over again. She winced yet again at the surprising strong force, but bit her lip again to hold everything she wanted to let out, stay in. Her face was full of sweat, & even Zeren was getting warmer, small beads of sweat rolling down his face. By accident, the hand that he had been petting her with, had somehow slipped off, and landed on one of her own. Startled and without thinking, she gasped, and jerked forward. In Zeren's case it was bad, for her forehead collided with his in a fast crash.

"Oww!" He yelped, taking his unoccupied hand & rubbing it against his forehead. She only shook her head, trying to burn off the buzzing feeling on it.

"I'm sorry, are you okay? Did I hurt you? I've been told I have a very hard skull." She popped up after the quite literal painful silence, worry staining her silver orbs. He gave her a reassuring nod. He wanted to smile at that. _"It's nice to see that she's worried about me, instead of it being vice versa.."_

"Of course I am, I kinda forgot I was petting you, since I'm focusing on my occupied hand." He indicated with his eyes to the hand that was working on Zera. "I guess we both overreacted huh?" He had a sheepish grin on his face. Her tan cheeks blushed again, & nodded slowly.

"Indeed..." An awkward pause developed between them.

"So, may we continue without anymore surprising interruptions?" He said, feeling the moment went on long enough. She continued to avoid his gaze, but said a quiet 'yes' letting him know to proceed. He was just about to when-

"Wait!"

"What is it Zera?"

"Um...you can make it smaller, correct?"

"Zera...I honestly can't. It's just the laws of nature for it to be this big. Now please just hold still, I'll take care of everything." He said. Secretly, he wanted to start this again, & only wanted to seem impatient to make Zera give in. She finally connected her eyes with him, and sighed deeply.

"Oh, alright. Just, not too much pressure, & more pleasure, got it?" She commanded. He face still showed uncertainty, but she wasn't going to look like a coward now. He grinned and started to go in her all over again.

Not even 2 minutes later, when they were really getting into it, there was a knock on the door.

"Zeren, Zera, it's me, Sonic. Can I come in?"

_"Shit." _They both said in their heads.

**"SONIC, DON'T COME IN HERE, WE'RE BUSY!" **They both yelled at the door. They paused as they stared at each other, after that weird identical outburst. Sonic had a confused look on his face. _"Those two are acting really strange since we left them alone...Well, only one way to find out what's happening."_ He started to open the door much to the other's begging pleas.

"Well, it's been almost an hour & you two have been quiet for awhile. Tails heard a cry, scream, and all kinds of noises in here, then asked me to come help. I brought in some grapes if you guys were hungry and-" He stopped dead in the middle of his sentence when he saw the scene before him. It looked bad from his view of angle.

**REALLY****, **really bad.

Zeren was pressed over Zera, both of them panting and in sweat, bodies too close for comfort. Their hands...well, mostly Zeren's hands were...doing something...He couldn't see **what****, **but he knew he didn't approve. He almost dropped the yellow bowl of red grapes on the spot. "**ZEREN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" **Sonic yelled at the top of his lungs. Instantly, Zera's face was blood red in shock and embarrassment while Zeren peeled off her & started walking towards Sonic.

"Dude, you don't understand. I know this may come to a shock to you but Zera-"

** "DUDE, SHE WAS PURE AND YOU SOILED HER! SHE HAS THE BRAIN OF AN 8 YEAR OLD, DON'T BE A-" **He paused at the word he probably shouldn't say in front of Zera. He quickly looked at Zera's flushed form. "Well, **YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING!"** Everyone was silent, and slightly scared of Sonic at the moment. The blue hero rarely yelled, so this was quite the sight to behold. Sonic said something inaudible under his breath, much to a disliking to Zera for her hearing could always pick up **_anything_****_, _**no matter how low or quiet it was. Maybe he only mouthed his probably pissed statement. Sonic finally moved near Zera, still sending daggers at the confused echidna.

Sonic placed the bowl of grapes next to Zera. "You can go ahead and eat them. I just bought and washed them. Truly fresh." She looked at him, then the grapes, and back at him.

"But...Zeren and I were just-"

"Oh no no no dear, don't talk with your mouth full!" Sonic said teasingly, though his facial expression was the complete opposite as he shoved a few grapes in her mouth. She had a look of complete shock and was taken back. She was just about to open her mouth in protest when sweet juice dripped into the back of her throat. She froze, swallowed, & put a few more in her mouth. Sonic sighed in relief, glad of the distraction. "I'm sorry Zera, but I'm trying to teach you manners to became a proper young lady. That's kind of how it works here if you want to fit in. But that was good enough. Now, I'm just gonna grab Zeren here & have a quick chat with him okay? Enjoy those grapes!" He said in a fake cheerful accent that thankfully Zera was too occupied to notice. He walked over to Zeren and yanked his arm, dragging him away from Zera and just stopped at the door, much to the echidna's protests.

"We shouldn't be a moment!" Sonic sing-songed as he shut the doors. He dragged Zeren a little further down the hall, & stopped a good distance away from the lab so Zera was out of ear shot.

_**XxX**_

"Ok bro, you have 5 minutes to explain." Sonic said in a voice he hadn't used in a very long awhile. Heck, he only used it when he was furious. He's passed that now. He's **pissed****. **And Sonic **NEVER**gets pissed without a very good reason. This was one of them. Now Zeren looked lost. _"I haven't seen Sonic this mad at me, not even after what happened at the Christmas party last year... Sure, he yelled at Rouge, but he gave me the full punishment just for a harmless prank...that might have gone too far..." _No, let's not go back to that memory. He needed to focused on why this hedgehog was pissed at him AGAIN, and that was just a loose term on this.

"Explain what? All I was doing-"

**"NO NO, I DON'T WANT ESCUSES, I WANT AN ANSWER TO WHY YOU WERE JACKING UP ZERA!" **Sonic yelled, perhaps a little too loudly. The house grew very quiet & still. Zeren's face heated up after a moment.

** "ONLY IN MY HEAD I DO! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULD-**...ohhh~..." Zeren quieted down, now seeing what Sonic was getting at. The speedy hedgehog was tapping his foot impatiently, just like he always had, waiting for an explanation. Suddenly Zeren burst out in laughter. "Yo-you actually t-thought that me-e and Zera were...HAHAHAHAHAHA, OH THAT'S RICH SONIC! I NEVER THOUGHT OF YOU TO THINK THAT WAY! HAHAHA!" Thankfully Zeren minimized from full laughter, down to a chuckle. Sonic rolled his eyes, & started to shake the orange echidna around like a rag doll.

"This isn't funny Zeren! Yes, I **_sometimes_******think that way, but **_this_******time it was for a **reason**! It looked like you guys were getting down to it! If you have a better explanation, I'm all ears." Sonic let go of Zeren, and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

"Sonic, your just jumping to conclusions yet **again**. You really need to stop doing that, or you'll end up being punched like last time with Amy." Sonic glared at him again as Zeren brought up that past, and chose to laugh at it too. "You didn't even let me explain everything the first few times."

His cheeks turned pink. "We-well, I guess your right..."

"Exactly, now hear me out. You see, when Tails wanted a blood sample from Zera, she flipped out. She has a secret fear of needles even though she's dealt with them all these years...Tails had to leave to get something to get blood from her. But I wasn't waiting, & neither was she. She wanted to do it herself, but I didn't want her to. So I offered to do it myself. Since she trusts me the most, out of all of us. (Not bragging or anything). When I first started drawing blood from her, she was complaining that it hurt. She would whine or whimper if I went any deeper in her arm. She wanted me to make it less painful, so I thought of a way to distract her. With my free hand, I started to stroke her arm & she became relaxed. Though I guess I let it sink in too far, and she let out a cry. So I quickly started to pet her head. She began to moan, and even purr when I went behind her ear. I think that's a hedgehog weakness." He paused, looking directly at Sonic's face, then his triangular ears. On instinct, he folded them against his skull and bared his teeth, making a small hissing sound at Zeren. He didn't like anyone touching his ears, especially Amy after that incident. Even to this day he says that his left ear twitches in fear when it hears Amy come close to him.

"Try me...continue.."

"Well, I guess with all those sounds coming out of her, Tails took it the wrong way. I only managed a solid pint out of her before you came along. That's the story." Zeren finished. If Sonic wasn't red yet, he certainly was now! He completely took that the wrong way! He cursed himself for being so foolish and not trusting him friend well enough to be alone with Zera. He shuffled his feet around in embarrassment.

"Errrr...I'm sorry bud, I shouldn't have assumed anything. I should have known you wouldn't do anything sexual to her. Plus, the fact stands that she might have blown off your arm if you touched her in that matter." He mumbled the last sentence to himself, turning his head away from Zeren. Zeren set a glare at first, then shrugged casually.

"It's fine. To be honest, I didn't know it looked that bad. I was happy she was trusting me, so I wanted to go a little bit further. Besides, I wouldn't even... um, well, you know, do it with her. Only when we get older, when she truly opens up, trusts me, and has the same feelings towards me, then I'll make my move." Well, the old Zeren is back. Sonic had to crack a genuine smile.

"Good, that's a good plan. Until then, no touching in **ANY**sexual way, no dirty talking or planning what so ever. Got it?" Sonic implied directly. Zeren let out a whine.

"Aww~ but, not even-"

"NO." He stated firmly. "No papers, no lines, no drugs, no powers. NO NOTHING ON THIS GIRL! We want to KEEP HER TRUST, if I remember correctly, & no one wants it ruined with your desires." Zeren was now at a loss at words, & blushed like a madman.

"Fine." He mumbled. Satisfied with that, Sonic started heading back towards the lab.

_ "I'll only dream it in my head." _Zeren thought, licking his lips in a sly smile, & headed after the blue hedgehog.

**_XxX_**

"Sorry about that Zera, but now that everything is calm & restored to the right, we can get straight down to business." Sonic said. Zera looked up at the two males before her. The bowl was completely licked clean, with the accepts of a few grape stems littering the bottom.

"I like those... grapes Sonic! I've never had such a delicacy! It was so very sweet, & juicy." Zera said, licking her lips. Sonic had to shift his eyes on his orange friend. Zeren's knees were shaking, his eyes full of hunger at the temptation just simply oblivious in front of him. Sonic sighed.

_"Zeren, you sad little pervert, your practically on your knees...Stay strong man, stay strong..." _He thought. Zera gave a strange look in Zeren's direction, then looked at Sonic.

"Where is Tails, I'm ready to start my other tests." She said, felling the atmosphere become thick with awkwardness. Was it her just being there, or that she ate all the grapes without sharing? She wanted to give them some, but they were so sweet that she couldn't stop herself. It wasn't her fault she got to eat actual food in so long. Sonic & Zeren gave each other identical looks, then glanced at Zera again.

"Actually, we should call Tails. He left before we could even tell him the blood test was going on...where is it anyway?" Sonic asked, now that he thought about it. Neither the black hedgehogette nor the orange echidna said a word. Zera just swung her legs awkwardly off the examination table. Zeren just stood there like a lawn gnome. _"Oh, how I hate playing this game. I'm guessing Zera knows it well with her history, & Zeren isn't always the first person to speak up. These guys might as well be clones of Mr. Grumpy Stripes.." _Sonic let out a deep sigh to ease everything at least a bit more to make the 2 others glance in his direction.

"So, none of you are going to say where it is?" Sonic asked, feeling the awkward power of silence laying above his head.

"No no my friend it isn't like that at all...It's just...Um, well, Zera's blood-"

"Isn't like normal blood...I'm not even sure if it could be called blood anymore..." Zera blurted out before Zeren could finish his sentence. Zeren stared at Zera as she grabbed the small container off of the counter beside her. "Here Sonic, take a **good**look."

Sonic, bewildered by her words, slowly approached the tired looking hedgehogette, & took the small vile out of her hand.

It was filled with...

"Zera, please tell me this is your blood with an odd color, and not Zeren's pee since he can't always make it to the bathroom." He asked. Zeren's face was a tomato, scowled at his friend, and blew a fuse.

**"WHY THE HELL WOULD IT BE MY PEE!?" **He said. Sonic could only chuckle as he faced him.

"I could've said something else, but there's a lady present. And just remember our little chat earlier, and just connect the dots." He said in a light tone, but still smug. Zeren made a frustrated face & bit his lip at the mention of their chat earlier. He understood it yes, but wasn't going to show it. **_That_****_, _**& it would let Sonic win and Zeren didn't like the fact that Sonic always win. _"Heh, not this time, jokes on him. __**AGAIN**__**!**__ Sweet victory has come at last between my rounds with Sonic.." _Zeren thought happily.

"Sonic, that is my blood okay? I know it may seem strange that it's yellow but-"

"No Zera, it's not yellow...It's gold!" Sonic said in amazement. Zeren thought this might be going well. He still didn't want to be around when Zera explained it though, she always had a certain look when she told it, & now he had an excuse to miss this mild cuteness.

"I'll go call Tails to come back here." He said as he went to find his communicator and leave the 2 hedgehogs alone. _"I just hope she won't destroy him if Sonic goes too far with questions.." _Zeren thought.

"But, **why**is it gold? Was it some sort of freak accident?" Sonic asked after a few minutes. Zera started at him with bright silver eyes.

_"Damn! If she keeps that up, my heart is going to burst! Those eyes...just want to make you tell the truth, cry, then explode with happiness." _Sonic thought, feeling his heart twinge a bit. Zera shrugged. It's not like she wasn't expecting that question come out of his mouth...

Just wasn't expecting him to ask that question so soon.

"I don't honestly know. In fact, N.U.G was trying to find that out themselves. They were not successful as they hoped. They gave up & just agreed to state that I was born with golden blood. I wasn't satisfied with that, nor were they..." She quieted it down a bit, remembering about the past. The past she wish she didn't have, or had to live through.

"Oh Zera, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry that out of you."

"No no Sonic, it's fine. You wanted to know & I must be open with it."

"Why, cause you trust me?"

"Well, that's half the reason why. And this might also go for things in the future."

"Hmm? Then what's the other reason?"

"Jackie."

"Ahh~, now that makes sense."

Sonic knew Jackie was a woman of honesty. Speaking of the 'lovely' Groter family...

"So um, what do you think of Zeren?" Sonic asked, changing the subject. Also to see what Zera's feelings on Zeren were so far. He wasn't only just doing it for his pal, but also for himself. He was mildly curious of her thoughts on the orange echidna.

Zera had let her gaze leave Sonic's blue form, & stay on her bare hands.

_ "Zeren...what do I think about you?" _She wondered. True, she was slowly enjoying his care & company far more than she thought she would, but...

_ "Some thing about me makes him pity me..." _She thought. He felt sorry for her, felt that she needed his help. Yes, she **_does_******need his help, but he was practically babying her.

And she hated it.

She hated him for pitying her. She wasn't weak, she was very strong. He was just...Well, a word she knew for sure, but couldn't describe it.

"Zeren...I can't complain about him. He is a worthy ally." She said truthfully. That was probably the fairest answer she could say about him. "The only flaw he has that goes a **bit**far." She stretched the word lightly. "He...needs to stop being protective of me. Did you not see how he acted with me when the Doctor showed up? I actually found it quite humiliating. I'm not stupid, I know things as well as he does! Probably more! I know how to defend myself! It's like he's pitying me...And I despise it very much..."

Wow. Never before had he heard a compliment and a **_kind_******insult mixed in with each other. _"And she said it in such a soft sweet voice too." _Sonic was dumbfounded.

"Err...Well, the reason he's like this is because he wants to protect you. Yes, he has his overboard moments, and he doesn't always mean that. He was always like this..." He trailed off.

"Oh, really, with what or whom?"

"Errrmm ...Listen Zera, this isn't my department to tell you. It was Zeren's life, & if he wants to tell it to you, then he will. Other than that-"

"You guys, Tails said he'll be here in about a few minutes...Said there's some news on Zera..." Zeren came back from his call with the kitsune. Sonic and Zera could only look at him with worried eyes.

"News?...What kind of news?" Sonic asked. Zeren could only shrug.

"I don't know, I sometimes don't even know or understand what the kid is going on about anyway. Hey Sonic, you guys have any more drinks in here? I'm really thirsty." Sonic had to roll his eyes at his friend snooping around his fridge.

"Of course we do Zeren. We're just hiding them from you." He shouted as Zeren was continuing his search in the kitchen.

"Seriously!? That's not fair! You know how thirsty I get!" Zeren whined.

"And that's why we have to hide them! Whenever you come over, you drink all of our water! Tails has to buy a lot more than we usually do!" You could hear the thirst-driven echidna mumble, "Your just lucky you don't have my kind of condition..."

Condition?...What condition?

Sonic sighed & caved in. "Water is behind the bag of mixed vegetables..." Zeren chuckled in a clever way, happy he broke Sonic.

"Sonic, what does he mean by condition?" Zera asked with interest. Sonic didn't even look at her. He was completely ignoring her. Yet, he felt her powerful stare on him, and it was starting to freak him out. He exhaled, & finally looked at the curious girl.

"Look Zera, the thing is-"

"Hey guys, I'm home! And I bought water just in case Zeren drinks the rest of our supply!" Tails shouted just as he entered the house with a large bag full of water bottles. He took his keys out of his pocket & skillfully locked the door. He walked into the hard floor kitchen, and started unpacking the bottled water into the chrome fridge.

**"TAILS, YOUR BACK! THANK CHAOS IN THE SKY YOUR BACK!" **Sonic was practically screeching at the small kitsune. Tails peeped his head into the hallway that lead to the lab slowly, only to spy a blue hedgehog and a black hedgehogette, sitting with each other with awkward faces. Though Sonic had relief in his eyes. Sonic was just that tempted to run over and give his little brother a hug, as he was his savior at the moment from getting him out of revealing quite the personal story about the thirsty orange echidna.

"Umm...yeah, the line wasn't long, so I got home faster than I expected...Err, did something-"

"Tails, you said you have news for us. What is it?" Zera reminded him. Tails, never a child to forget **_anything_**_,_ nodded.

"I do. I was passing by the T.V isle at the store and I saw...news that could be risky for us." His voice was in a dead quiet tone. Wasn't even the good kind.

And that made Zera **very**uneasy.

"Tails, where is your...T.V?" She sounded confused when she pronounced T.V. Tails noticed her tension, & tension lead to anger, which could lead Zera to go all monster again & trash their house like she did with Eggman. He quickly lead them to the living room.

Chocolate brown couches lined up in the fair sized room. 2 white recliners were perfectly in the center, that was in a good distance away from the huge flat screen. Being world renowned heroes have their benefits when it comes to living style. Tails grabbed the remote & turned it on.

"Here, take a look at this."

"Again, if no one has gotten the messages, we'll replay it again." The newswoman of about 25, a grey wolf herself (which immediately made Zera sick to her stomach), had said. A small video finally came up. It was a G.U.N soldier.

"Hello New Mobious. I am a soldier in the organization of G.U.N. We have come to report terrible news. A child of our organization, has been lost. We fear she either ran away, or was captured by our opposing government."

Right then, a picture showed up beside the man talking. It was a picture of Zera, before her haircut, & wasn't so beat up. Maybe a scar or 2, but not enough for people to worry about.

By bad timing, Zeren came in to join them, chugging down his 3rd bottle of water.

"Hey guys, what are you all-..." Zeren just saw the picture of Zera on the screen. He himself was stunned.

But his mouth wasn't.

Sadly, the orange echidna was in front of the T.V, & did the world's longest spit take.

Literally 2 minutes.

Sonic & Tails gave identical looks to each other, then made a face at Zeren.

**"DUDE, SERIOUSLY?! **That's **beyond**over the top, don't you think?" Tails exclaimed. He went off into the kitchen to get some paper towels. Zeren didn't even hear the young senior's expression. He was completely glued to the screen.

"Zera..." He finally said, trying not to raise his voice. **"WHY**, is your picture on the T.V?" She gave him a fake face of stupidity.

"Oh, I don't really know, maybe G.U.N doesn't want to hunt me down anymore for Jade, and think I'm cute. So if they think I'm that cute, they put my old picture on the news..." She said in a sarcastically sweet voice, but the cold glare she was giving him had the complete opposite meaning, & probably effect. Zeren though, challenged her since he saw where this was going. He glared back.

"Well excuse me for worrying! If anyone from school sees **_this_****_, _**& remember seeing **_you_****_, _**your cover is blown! Then they'll come & get you, & maybe the rest of us can go to jail for attempted kidnapping! Zera, I am **NOT**made for jail."

" Oh Zeren, you overreacting. Look at the photo. I look completely different in that picture! My quills are longer, my bangs are messy, & if you haven't noticed this in the picture, but my eyes are blue!"

Back and forth the 2 argued, hurling insults and sadly good points on most of their cases. Sonic and Tails were stunned with fear. Tails finished cleaning the T.V. of Zeren's accident, & looked at Sonic.

"Should we do something? Like, break up their little fight? It almost seems pointless. In fact, I'm positive it is."

"Tails, after seeing what Zera did to Eggman in less than 5 minutes, I don't think we should upset her even more than she already is."

"...Uh...ok Sonic.."

"Zeren, I'm not a kid! I don't need protection like this! I know what I can do if people think it's me!"

"So, what are you going to do? Bash their skulls until their memory fades away? When I first met you, you said your powers were just truly awaken. Your **_still_******having problems controlling not only your powers, but your emotions! And really, your not a kid? You have the mind of a fucking 8 year old!" He hollered. Oh, no he didn't.

Zeren had crossed the line.

"I'm older than **_any_******of you could imagine. Age does not matter in these kinds of circumstantial games. What matters is strength & awareness. **YOU****, ZEREN, HAVE FAILED TO UNDERSTAND ME AT ALL!" **She was surprisingly talking quietly until the last sentence. Zeren's glare turned into a sad face.

"Zera...I didn't mean-"

"We interrupt this program with some breaking news. 72 hours ago, G.U.N announced the news of a missing child from their organization."

Both Zera & Zeren paused their argument and looked at the spit free screen once again.

"Now, the man that runs G.U.N, Commander Ron." And it was none other than the person Zera hated the most besides Jade, (And at the moment, Zeren.) The man looked the same the first time he met her. Pale skin with a few wrinkles in some places,, dark brown eyes, & thin grey hair. A still kind of handsome that Zera isn't proud to admit. Ron walked on to the microphone stand. He smiled at the cameras, and began to speak.

"Hello, my fellow friends here in Marnt. I'm Commander Ron, leader of G.U.N. Thank you all for listening to the news about our missing girl. We want to have her back home as soon as possible, were she can finish her job again."

Zera snatched the remote in anger away from Sonic (having no memory suddenly of him taking it away from Tails), and swiftly she turned up the volume to hear Ron's words. She knew what he was **_really_******implying.

"So please, if you have any hints, leads, or know where she is, please contact G.U.N. And to our precious girl, if your watching this." The camera zoomed in on him dramatically, much to Zera's anger, for she started to crush the remote in her hand. You could hear the small crunching noises it was making under the angry hedgehog's pressuring hand.

"If your watching this, well & free, or captured and broken, break free. We're sorry if we scared you. Now we are doing everything in our power to find you. We're coming for you. But, just please come back to us. Certain people miss you." Ron did the most sinister smile he could ever make. To most people, it would seem nice & sweet. But to Zera, she saw the true purpose and evil to it.

"Aww~, what a sweet man, caring so much. Thank you Ron. And to all of you watching this at home, please be on the lookout for this girl. She means the world to them. We'll keep updates on this case every day. This is Wanda Wolden from Channel 110 news, signing off." Zera had turned it off, no longer wanting to hear this shit. All grew quiet as the 4 friends stayed lost in their own thoughts on what just happened.

Zera was anything but pleased. Her hand began to glow an ugly red. The remote soon began to sizzle, and melt. Steam began to rise from the dissolving remote. Tails, being the creator of that remote, screeched in utter terror.

**"ZERA, STOP IT! CALM DOWN! JUST-" **But that made it worse, and made Zera angrier. Flames began to form & engulf the poor remote. Tails wanted to faint at this, but was only completely frozen. Sonic stared in fear, & Zeren just had no emotion to display.

"Zera, now do you know why-"

**"GGGRRAAAAHHHH!" **The pissed female hedgehog actually **_threw_******the melting remote at the surprised echidna. It made contact with his bottle, & it burst into pretty colored flames. The hot mess of melted remote & exploded water bottle fell on the floor, & started to melt in with the carpet. Sonic quickly picked it up before it could permanently stay in the carpet. He then regretted doing this action, for it burned through his glove, & singed his palm.

Never before had anyone heard the speedster scream. Especially like a 5 year old girl throwing a tantrum for a new doll.

Sonic ran out of the living room, into the kitchen, & right into the sink. He put his toasted hand (somehow his burnt glove was blown off of him in the rush), under the faucet, & let the cool water rush over it to ease the pain. Sonic let out a sigh of relief as the stinging on his palm began to fade away.

Tails, on the other hand, was still trying to cope on what the hell just happened.

Sonic's hand was burnt. (Surprisingly, this wasn't the first time it actually was).

Zera had thrown a fireball remote (not to mention that it was his re-created remote control that she destroyed) at Zeren's bottle.

Leader of G.U.N makes a grand appearance for Zera.

Zeren and Zera started fighting.

The clues were coming together.

Zera started getting mad.

Tails turned on the T.V.

Tails finally put the puzzle back together.

It was Tails fault for starting all of this. If he hadn't said that he had news from the T.V, this all wouldn't have happened. Sonic wouldn't have a burnt hand, Zeren & Zera wouldn't have fought, and most importantly, Zera wouldn't have blown up his remote.

No one dared to say a word, especially to the female hedgehog. Her eyes had turned into a faint red color, indicating there was still dangerous anger bubbling inside her. Not quite ready to explode, but was just waiting for someone to push the button. Tails looked at her, then Zeren, then back at Zera. Seeing that neither of his superiors where going to do anything to fix this argument, he sighed and took the echidna's hand. Much to his surprise, Zeren didn't do anything to stop him, but merely let his form be carried away to the Lab.

_**XxX**_

"Zeren, are you okay?" Tails asked when he was positive the two hedgehogs were out of hearing to their conversation. Zeren was leaning against the examination table as Tails was sitting on it next to Zeren. Zeren couldn't even look at Tails, nor do anything else. Tails was about to give up trying to have a conversation with him when he heard a soft, but pained voice call out to him.

"Did you see the way she looked at me? Like, I was the enemy...her enemy..." Tails paused, and slowly looked at his older friend.

"Well, did you really nee to say all of those things to her? Even I would think harshly of you!" Tails stated. Zeren finally looked up at the young kitsune.

"Who's side are you on?! If they know that she's here, then it will only be a matter of time for them to check all the neighborhoods, all the houses, and take Zera away from us!...From my family...from me..." Zeren got very quiet after that. Tails was stunned. That was a very good point. But it wasn't a good point to yell rude comments at her.

"I'm on **both**of your sides Zeren, I really am. But making an insane criminal chick you have an out of control crush on (which still makes me wonder **WHY **you do), ticked off with you, I must say I'm on Zera's side today. In her defense **_and_******mine, you took that too far."

"I had to! She wasn't seeing my point! I want to protect her, and she's failed to see it..."

**"No, SHE HASN'T!"**

That shut both of them up. Zeren stared at Tails with hurt and shocked eyes. Tails was even surprised he shouted. He took a deep breath, & stared down on the orange one.

" You know as much as we, & probably even she knows, that she's still unstable, physically and emotionally. She knew how worse the situation got when that announcement came on. Yelling that at her didn't help in both of your cases. But this is something I can't fix for once. You and Zera need to fix this all by yourselves. You both need to forgive, & apologize." Tails said. Glad he made his point, Tails hopped of the table, and left the lab.

Zeren's gaze was glued to the floor, thinking over Tails words. Was he right? Did he take it too far? Did he not have to say those things at her? Should he just go to Zera and make things right?

_"I don't want her to be mad at me forever..." _He thought, for that was the complete opposite of what he wanted to **_be_******with Zera, and have her...well, words he wouldn't think he understood to say, or thought he would actually feel. He knew now what he must do. But, how could he even say it? This, might take awhile...

_**XxX**_

"Z-Zera...are you alright?" Sonic asked nervously as Zera was bandaging his hand. On a more positive & safer note, her eyes showed the regular, beautiful silver glow they had, meaning she was finally calm.

That doesn't mean her face, voice, & body language couldn't show her emotions after what happened earlier this late afternoon.

"I'm just peachy Sonic." She said smoothly, yet there was a sour ring to it. She was **_anything_******but peachy right now, but Sonic didn't want to argue nor disagree with her. Plus, he didn't want her to rearrange his handsome face. She sighed as she finished her work, and sat down one of the couches in the back.

"Zera, I think there's more to it." He said, slowly following her. Her gaze fell upon the blue hedgehog which made him panic & wonder how far he could run before she'd catch him, or she'd catch him & beat him to a bloody pulp. She saw the worry (and sad fantasy he just had) in his eyes, & her face grew softer.

"No Sonic, I'm not going to beat you to a bloody pulp. I'm just...confused..." She said tiredly, looking over to the coffee table next to the couch, which held a vase of water lilies, & a picture. She picked it up, and looked more closely at it.

It was Sonic, Tails, &...this one girl that was different shades of green, except for her eyes. They were just a bright and blue as Tails. She looked so much like a plant, all leafy & green. She even had 2 pinkish rose buds on her head. Sonic was patting Tails' head in a brotherly way. Tails had both of his arms around her waist, as she wrapped an arm around him too, both full of smiles. The girl was smiling shyly and blushing slightly. "_It looks like she's looking at Tails..." _Zera thought as she studied it. She felt the couch shift a bit as Sonic plopped down next to her. Sonic's bandaged hand came into view as he pointed to the girl who was hugging Tails.

"That's Cosmo, over friend we met years ago with our battle with the Metarex..., and Tails' first love..." Sonic said quietly. Ah. So **this**was the Cosmo they had mentioned at lunch today. They did seem happy together, judging how they held each other in this photo.

"You never told me she was a plant."

"Heh, all I could tell you was an alien friend who helped us defeat the Metarex."

"Oh, right..." They both grew quiet. "Tell me what happened, the day you guys lost her...the day Tails lost Cosmo..." Sonic, surprised that she asked that out of the blue, looked over at her.

"Really? You sure want to hear it? It's a pretty gruesome story." She nodded. "Well, alright then, don't say I didn't warn ya.." Sonic cleared his throat, & began to unravel the tale.

"It was the final battle with the Metarex. The whole team, the Chatiox, & even Eggman joined us to fight against their leader, Dark Oak, in his most powerful form ever. We had given our all, but nothing seemed to work. We thought all hope was lost. Not until-

_**XxX**_

**_ "I must go out there myself, & face Dark Oak..." Cosmo said. Tails and Chris looked at Cosmo in bewilderment._**

**_"Cosmo, are you crazy?! He'll kill you!" Chris yelled at his green friend. Tails could only stare at her._**

**_ "On the contrary Chris, I can do this. Since he merged with the planet, I could probably combine into him & could hold him out of his own control long enough to..." She stopped herself. Tails finally snapped out of the small trance, and gave Cosmo a look of curiosity._**

**_"Long enough to what, Cosmo?" Her pause had worried him even further than before. She didn't look at him. She _****_couldn't_****_ look at him. Her hands shook violently. "Cosmo, before what?" His voice began to rise. She turned to look at him, tears starting to appear. Tails froze._**

**_ "Long-...long enough so you can shout us...Dark Oak would finally be destroyed, & I could see my family again..." She said. Tails and Chris had a look of horror on their faces. Tails got out of his seat, and grabbed Cosmo._**

**_" NO, WE AREN'T DOING THAT! WE CAN'T SHOOT YOU COSMO, YOUR OUR FRIEND! WE CAN'T DO THIS! MAYBE WE CAN THINK OF ANOTHER PLAN!"_**

**_ "TAILS, WE ARE OUT OF OPTIONS! WE ARE ALMOST OUT OF TIME! DARK OAK'S PLAN IS ALMOST COMPLETE!" She shouted back. She was right though, Tails couldn't disagree with that. Dark Oak was almost ready to break & explode time & space. There really wasn't that much of a choice left for them. Chris could only look at the two, and sigh deeply._**

**_"Ok Cosmo, we'll do it. We'll use the Super Sonic Cannon to shoot Sonic & Shadow at maximum power...We'll need to get all the power we can get from Eggman's ship as well." Chris said. Tails glanced sadly at his human friend as he released Cosmo from his surprisingly strong grip. The human boy (who was really 18 back in his world, but due to the transportation when he came back to Sonic's world, he was put back at his 12 year old body, the way the Master Emerald remembered him), gave him a sorry look before he left the 2nd control room._**

**_ "Tails..." Cosmo's voice made Tails' head turn back at her. She finally made a small smile. "It will be okay Tails, don't worry...After all, the mission comes first..."_**

**_"Ok Cosmo, I believe you..." Tails said softly. "Just promise me that you'll come back to us safely." She brightened her smile, and embraced him in a tight hug. He held her back, tears he didn't know he made pouring out of his eyes. She finally let go, wiped the tears from both of their eyes, and ran out to face the enemy that wiped out not only her entire clan,...but also wiped out her family, her mother...but that wasn't the worst part. She was about to face her..._**

**_ "Father...I'm sorry your insanity had caused you to do all of this...Caused me to do this..." She said as she flew out of the Blue Typhoon, & out towards Dark Oak._**

**_XxX_**

**_Sonic and Shadow were in their super form, trying to break through the grid Dark Oak was using to shield himself and the expanding planet seed from their attacks._**

**_"Sonic, Shadow, stand back.." They heard the soft voice of a young girl. They both looked above them to see...a different from of Cosmo._**

**_Her buds had finally bloomed to beautiful flowers, her leaves bigger & brighter. Her amulet was no longer blue, but red. She passes through the grid with ease. Shadow & Sonic stared in amusement. Sonic took heed on Cosmo's words, and headed back to the ship. Shadow only flew back a little bit. Something just wasn't right..._**

**_XxX_**

**_"Tails, Chris, what's going on?" He shouted. Just then, the Super Sonic Cannon came out on the main deck._**

**_ "Sonic, glad you made it back. Listen, we need you & Shadow to go in the cannon to shoot Dark Oak. The blast might be powerful to end him..." Chris explained on the comm._**

**_"But...Cosmo is still out there, we can't fire it yet, I have to get her!"_**

**_ "...We know Sonic...She is willing to sacrifice herself to hold Dark Oak long enough to destroy him...and Cosmo..." Tails voice came out completely shaken. Sonic's eyes widened, and looked back at the huge tree form of Dark Oak. It was Cosmo, spreading all over him. He nodded swiftly. He couldn't believe they were all going through with this drastic plan of action. But, as he knew, that's what it's like to be a hero. After all, sacrifices are to be made..._**

**_"Got it. Shadow, come on man, we got a universe to save!" He shouted to his darker double. Shadow looked at Sonic's form heading inside the cannon, then the tree, then at the cannon. Seeing no other choice, he Chaos Controlled to the cannon, and in front of Sonic. They both gave each other identical smiles, and did what they did best. (besides running). They curled up into balls, & spun around the walls of the cannon._**

**_ "Sonic & Shadow are in the cannon. Knuckles, do your thing." Chris said. The red echidna nodded, and began to chant to the Master Emerald that was connected to the cannon for power. It began to glow vibrantly, taking in all the power from not only the Blue Typhoon, but also from the Egg Drive. Sonic & Shadow were pushing themselves at the edge. Chris was watching the cannon's power rise._**

**_"Alright, cannon at full power. Tails, get ready to fire."_**

**_ "Roger..." He gripped the lever. He tried to pull it down, but couldn't. It was like a someone was holding him back. And that was himself. Tails looked at the tree, where Cosmo and Dark Oak were._**

**_ "Cosmo...I can't do it. I can't shoot you." He said weakly._**

**_"TAILS, FIRE THE CANNON!" Chris said. Tails stayed frozen. He was a rock._**

**_ "Tails listen to me. I promised you that I would be alright. And I will. The world...no, the universe, needs you to do this..." I need you to do this.." This was the voice of Cosmo. Tails quickly looked up at the tree, and saw a thin image of Cosmo. She was smiling, her eyes twinkling brightly at him. He smiled back, tears streaming freely down his face. Tails nodded ever so slightly._**

**_He pulled down the lever._**

**_"SUPER SONIC CANNON FIRE!" He shouted. Sonic and Shadow blasted out of the cannon at speeds greater than ever in a bright flash of light. They started to swirl around each other until the contact was made as they went straight in the heart of the tree._**

**_A hideous roar was let out of Dark Oak as he lived his final moments. An explosion went up so high above them all, light blinding them._**

**_It was over._**

**_Everything around them dimmed down then. Amy, Cream, & Cheese burst into sad sobbing after the loss of their dear friend. Everyone else had sad looks and glances. It all grew quiet._**

**_Tails sat alone in the cockpit, weeping hard at what he had just done._**

**_ "I've just killed my love, I've just killed my love..." He muttered over and over._**

**_"No Tails, you didn't kill me." Said a sweet voice. Tails looked up to see a ghostly Cosmo before him. "I am now one with the land now, where I truly belong. My seeds will spread across the galaxy, and grow new life on all the dying planets Dark Oak stole all the Planet Eggs from. This, has always been my destiny, & you've helped me fulfill it. Even if you can't see me, I'll always be with you all. In the sky, in the earth, the breeze, & in your hearts." She slowly got closer to him, & kissed him gently on his mouth, and disappeared._**

**_Tails didn't move, or do anything at first. He understood now. Cosmo was still with them, and always will be. He ran outside to the very battered deck. Sonic was already there back in his blue furred glory, looking off into the distance. His ear twitched when he heard Tails come behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at him & slowly began to walk at him._**

**_With an unhappy face._**

**_Tails took 2 steps back at this. "Look Sonic, I know your mad at me for not firing the first time, but-" Sonic was just in front of him now. He took Tails' hand, and placed a small object in it. Curious, Tails opened up his hand, and he stared hard at the object._**

**_It was a seed._**

**_"I'm sorry buddy, I tried to find Cosmo...but all I could find was one of her seeds...& Tails, I know how much she meant to you..." Tails couldn't hold it in. He unleashed more tears than earlier._**

**_ "OH WHY SONIC, WHY DID SHE DO IT!?" Tails cried out, his one fist holding the seed protectively, while the other was beating into Sonic's peach chest lightly. Tails was leaning his head into Sonic's chest as he cried. Sonic could only let him._**

**_XxX_**

"We went home after that. Tails took out an old vase of mine, filled it with dirt, and put her seed in it. He grew it in the lab at first, & I had yelled at him that Cosmo wouldn't like that..." Sonic had an off, but strong smile as he went deeper into the memory. "We argued so much about it and soon so many other things, that he locked himself in that lab for a few weeks...It was terrible, I felt really bad at what happened between us in that short time and wanted to apologize to him, but he never let me in...After about a month, he came out and put the growing seed out. He pointed to the vase in front of them. "We made up that day, and I won't ever forget it." Sonic said quietly, finishing his tale. Zera looked over her shoulder at him.

"I see... I am so very sorry for the loss. Tails must have made a hard struggle to get over that feeling that he killed his only love..." _"Sadly enough, I know __**exactly**____how it feels to kill a loved one...Tails and I were both traumatized..." _She thought sadly.

"So, you see the point?" Zera snapped out of her head as Sonic spoke. "I'm saying that you & Zeren can't act like how me and Tails did...You'll regret it, for it will haunt you for a long time in your life..." Sonic said in a small voice. She gave him an odd look, stood up, and left to find the orange echidna.

Her final description on Sonic?

He was creepy when he was being very emotional.

* * *

And there you go, a well written 42 page chapter if I do say so myself. I hope that satisfied your fill.

I want to apologize about the flashback. I haven't seen Sonic X in years. If I made it wrong, or a bit dramatic, then I'm sorry.

Join in next time for Chapter 10: How It Works.

I also hope everyone had a blasting summer. I know I kinda did.

Until next time. Cyya'z! _~Ari_


	10. Chapter 10: How It Works

Hey howdy hey matez! :3

You have no idea how happy I am right now! My wonderful, awsomesause of a father has gotten my laptop into better shape! Like, I even go on Youtube & watch videoz again! (Which is a good thing, because without my music for this long, I was soon going to snap. Plus, somehow it helpz me type faster. It's all about the beat. And I can finally start getting some subscribers back!) X3

I also have some, I guess good news for you guys. I have a new game plan.

**Game Plan: **I will be moving my update date to Fridays. I realized I still have much to do now, & with school kicking in, I had no time for this story on the weekends. But, I have plenty of time on Fridays. I may be tired from school, but I'll pull through for you guys. I'll do my absolute best.

**Reviews- bearvalley3365: **Oh, thank you, that really warms my heart to hear that. I wish I could more readers like you. But, I'm still going for you & a few of my friends. Oh & don't worry, I wrote down your corrections down in my notes. I'm close to finishing my one other chapter, & will soon be able to start their chapter. :3

**A/N: I just wanted to add something. I kind of confused myself with all of the towns, places, etc., in this story, so I'm going to have to change a few things. This is to warn you so you guys won't get confused.**

**Sonic characters belong to Sega.**

**Zera characters belong to Me.**

**Enjoy this chapter , pwease!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: How It Works**

"That's more like it. Hello honey, how are you?" Dr. Martinez asked her daughter in a happy tone.

"Well Mo- Err, I mean Dr. Martinez, I'm kinda in a pickle...Or maybe even in the whole pickle jar..." She said. A gasp came through from the doctor.

"Well, do tell me what's going on!" She said in an interested voice. Ivy had to smile at this. No matter what her mother was doing, even if it was her very important work, she always had room for Ivy. But still...

"Um, well, it's kind of a long story Doc, and I don't think you have the time to hear it. Your working right now, right?" She asked. Her mother let out an annoyed sigh. Ivy always did this, ever since she was little. She always rethinks on wither or not she wanted to admit something big to anyone, even when she was the one starting it all! It was like, a ''second thought'' on avoiding everything. She had the sudden urge to go up to her child's room and slap the living crap out of her till she sang. No, that would lead to an abusive parent, and that was the **LAST**thing she wanted with the relationship between her & her daughter... It was already a great, close one, especially after the loss of her husband.

"Yes dear, I **AM**working, but I got some of the others to cover my shift right now." She smirked into the phone. Ivy couldn't escape her. Not that she wanted to. Ivy had complete trust in her.

"Fine, you win. **_This_******one is an earful doozy, so I warn you..." She took a deep breath, and her mother what exactly happened.

"You see, now that mission has started, the High Commander Jade sent her right hand man to help us with it himself. HIs name is Captain Raldo McDemin. Oh, he is the definition of perfect Doc, I'm telling ya. As a fellow captain myself-" She paused. " Well, you probably don't understand the ranks here, or even know who-"

"Oh _mi hija_, I **know**Senor Raldo. He is **muy**guapo! His eyes especially!" Her mother exclaimed with a fan girl giggle. Ivy blushed deeply at her mother's words. How did **SHE**know how handsome Raldo is, especially those eyes of his? _"Glad she was speaking in Spanish or my identity to Mother & crush would be exposed." _She thought in small panic, but relief came back. Then, as always, she grumbled, annoyed that her mother had gone to her Hispanic side and showed off her multi-language tongue.

"Well, erm, great! Just uh, quick question...**How**do you know Raldo?"

"Oh, well, I met him earlier today in the lab, He was trying to find you & Miskit, and came to me for help. He was very polite, actually interested in my work, unlike **_some_******people I know." She was accusing her daughter & Merlinda for joking around that her work was boring. Ivy paled out a bit and chuckled nervously. Her parent gave a sarcastic laugh, then dropped it. "Anyway, he was kind enough to invite me to almerzo this weekend. He has such a way with words." The doctor commented. _**That**___struck Ivy in the heart. Raldo...and Dr. Martinez...on a-

**"YOUR GOING ON A DATE WITH RALDO!?" **Ivy said, louder than she should've been. The female doctor chuckled.

"Honey, I'm above his age. No no dear, this is just a simple lunch with 2 accomplices on a weekend. How on Earth do you think I would date a man practically the same age as my little Ivy?" She asked. Ivy froze. Not only did this woman have a good point, but embarrassed her yet again.

"Doc, don't call me that. I'm too old for that nickname, remember? Plus, I'm pretty sure I'm taller than you..." She stated in an angered whispering voice. As much as they had the same the last name, they were polar opposites when it came to looks. Ivy took most of her physical description from her late father who was Irish. Yes, that fiery red hair, green eyes, & bouncing spirit came from him. Her tanish skin color, cute lips, & great brain strength came from her mother. She didn't want people to know her true relation to Dr. Martinez not only because she would embarrass her, but also for safety reasons we probably won't understand now. She could hear her mother sigh sadly which broke her out of her focus.

"I know Ivy, your not my little one anymore, even in height difference...Your just growing up so fast, and pretty soon you'll truly leave me...Then I'll be all alone, with your father gone & whatnot..." She said, her small voice could break your heart open at the mention of her late father. Guilt rushed inside her as soon as she actually felt the single doctor's pain.

"Mom...look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's quite alright dear...just now thinking and saying your old nickname makes me feel like he's still here...I still grieve over the loss of the man of our house...I just miss him terribly..." She sounded close to tears, and even the poor captain herself felt like weeping.

" He **is**Mom...In our hearts...He'll always be there..." She convinced her mother. She could hear sniff a bit, as if trying to not let herself cry. After a few minutes, the doctor gathered herself up, & finally spoke.

"Thank you honey, I really needed that...Now, back to the issue at hand here. You never finished your pickle jar story." She stated. Ivy grew a small, soft smile seeing her mother getting better.

"OK, Well, Miskit & I were training since nothing was really happening. Raldo found us in the Training Facility. I left them because being sweet & smelly in front of someone so amazing is a **_complete_******embarrassment.." She mumbled, the embarrassing memory floating back into her head replaying itself. Surprisingly, Dr. Martinez didn't laugh.

"I see...Did you say anything to him before you ran chicken out of there?" Ivy grumbled loud enough for the woman to hear her. She suddenly thought of a brilliant idea to answer the question she asked, & probably really get her mom on the protective side.

"Of course I did! He said that Commander Ron talked highly of me, as much as he talks highly about Raldo. Can you believe it! _**Ron**__**,**_likes **me****.** I haven't liked him since Day 1, and it feels like he gives me no credit, but he actually respects me...But anyway, he gave me the most sweetest greeting anyone ever gave me. He did that old fashion hand kiss thing to me on-"

**"HE KISSED YOUR HAND?!" **Yep, that got her alright. Ivy snickered to herself, then held the rest of her laughter in.

"Yes...**DON'T YELL THAT TO EVERYONE!" **She replied. Her mother mumbled some probably unwanted words in Spanish at the yell that made her ear go numb a bit.

"So, when I was coming up to my room to get a shower, I ran into Merlinda. I told her about my..._**small**___crush, on Raldo, and she completely freaked out! She said it wasn't a good idea to crush on him, or even date him! She explained to me why I shouldn't get close to him with a story from her past, before she met me. It _**did**___help her with her points, now I have mine. I thought that she didn't want to for: A) She just doesn't want me to get hurt. B) She thinks that Raldo just wasn't the one for me. C)...She still has feelings for Raldo..." She ended with a half hearted voice. She could hear her mom make that usual sound she makes when she's thinking.

"I see...did you tell her about the papers?" She asked.

"No Madre, I didn't. I was thinking I should've to calm her down, but now, I'm so confused on what to do..." Ivy couldn't possibly believe what she just said. Not only did she admit defeat, but spoke Spanish to her mom!

_"Damn these Hispanic genes inside of me..." _She thought. Dr. Martinez grew a smile when her only child called her in a different language. She wanted to tease her so badly for that, but now wasn't the time.

"Well, my dear, I don't know what tell you. I'm a scientist, not a therapist. This is a case you'll have to figure out on your own." She stated. Ivy gave a loud annoyed sigh at her.

"I know that Mom, but your good with helping me with emotional crap."

_"Plus, now that you said it, I just think your avoiding this problem and don't __**want**____to help me."_

"I do hun, but this is just something I can't control. How do you think this could effect everyone else? Merlinda, Ron, Raldo, Miskit?"

" Miskit? Why would this effect him? This could only effect Ron, Raldo, & Lindy. How could it effect him?" Ivy asked, shocked & confused on why she said that. _"Why bring Miskit up...?"_

The poor doctor sighed, pitying her daughter for a moment. It seemed so possible that everyone but Ivy, was aware that Miskit was into her.

_"And she calls me oblivious..."_

"Nothing dear, but Miskit is still your friend, correct? Maybe it _**will**___effect him."

"I know Miskit is one of my best friends, I just don't he think he fits in with all of this." Ivy explained. How naïve could she get? Her mother didn't respond. Ivy quickly sat up, not noticing how laid out she was on her bed. She would've fallen asleep if she wasn't talking to Ms. Martinez. "Mom, you there?"

"Oh yes, I'm here Ivy. Look, I might need to go hang up in 10 minutes." There was a loud crash in the background, then shouting that sounded like, ''Get the fire hose!" Martinez sighed again. "Actually, make that 1 minute. But darling, you can do this. Just believe in it."

It? What the...

"Wait, it? What is it? What should I should believe?" She asked, not wanting her alone on this troubling manner.

"Believe in your heart. Mostly, listen to your heart." Dr. Martinez said to her child in a complete mother nature tone as she hanged up. Ivy sat there in disbelief. She put down her phone beside her, growled, and let a loud annoyed sigh as she laid on her bed.

"Mom, pick random lines from Cascada songs again, that was the weirdest phase you went though when Daddy died..." She said in a sad, yet quite freaked out voice. She covered her eyes with the back of her one hand in confusion.

"But what does she mean by that? I seriously need some _**good**___advice **not**by a scientist, or an organ in my body that can apparently talk." She grumbled.

She finally made some movement by crawling over to her pillow, & held it tight against her chest like it was a teddy bear.

_"I really wish I had a good idea on what to do here. It feels like high school all over again." _She thought. Oh well, something would bond to happen soon anyway, so it just might help.

After feeling positive on the situation, she decided just to go handle this the old fashion way: Straight On.

She finished drying her head, & let that flaming blaze she called hair bounce around behind her. She quickly lathered up lotion up & down her body, the smell of sweet lavender filling her bedroom. She went through her dresser to find the still base approved clothing she wanted. Quick as a whip, she put her under clothing on first, then put the grey sleeveless shirt (similar to Merlinda's shirt from earlier today) and pants also like Merlinda's, but was all blue. As usual, she kept her black combat boots. She brushed & combed out her hair till it seemed less curly than it usually is. Satisfied with the look, she headed out of her living space, and out to her elevator.

Her planned destination?: The Outside Training Course.

_**XxX**_

"Ivy, what the butter are you doing here? This is not your perimeter to be in...I think" Merlinda asked when her best friend approached. It's not like the captains aren't allowed outside, more specifically the training course. No, Ivy might be the only captain alive to be allowed on the course for well...Let's just say while training, one soldier made a sexist comment towards Ivy, and all hell broke loose. As did noses, legs, and ribs. Ivy has been banned since then. It's been a few days the ban has been lifted, but Ivy was pretty sure she wouldn't need to come back here either way.

Guess she was wrong sometimes.

"Look, that doesn't matter. Right now, I'm here as your best friend, not your captain." She stated, though her real meaning is, "I'm not leaving till we talk." In other words.

Merlinda had no other choice but to talk.

"Ivy..." She covered her eyes with her hand, teeth grinding against each other in her mouth with small aggrevation & stress. She sighed, and spoke. "Alright, alright. Okay guys, nice work out there today. Let's take a break. Go in for lunch." She ordered the Newbies. Shinies as the nickname goes around the base for new soldiers. None of them needed to be told twice. They all rushed inside like the base was invaded. When they seemed alone, Merlinda looked at Ivy with a tired, yet annoyed look on her face.

"Now what do you want Ivy, I was in the middle of a training session. Those shinies need it more than they think." She said, arms crossing over her chest.

"Merlinda look, I've been thinking over on what you said, and even asked Mom-"

"You mean, **your**Mom Ivy...But continue."

"So I thought when you told me those things, you were only trying to protect me. Or...that you still have feelings for Raldo & only want him for yourself...I was so confused, even more when Dr. Martinez said listen to my heart..."

"Ivy, you didn't let D. Martinez listen to more Casada songs, did you?"

"Err, Merlinda! You know I can't watch her anymore! But, that's not the point. I'm asking you **now,**as your best friend, are you telling me not to see Raldo for my own protection, or just so you can get him yourself?" Ivy asked. Merlinda had a face full of shock. It was a moment of utter silence, a tall, shocked Canadian, and a medium, determined Irish chick, staring hard at each other. Til' finally.

Laughter erupted.

"Merlinda, why are you laughing? This is serious for our friendship!" Ivy hollered, confused why Merlinda was doubled over in laughter. She rolled her eyes, and came to level with her counter part. "Done laughing?"

"Only if your done being stupid." She shot back in the same tone. Ivy glared at her as Linda explained.

"Girl, you should know me by now! I would **never**try to upset you like that, or in anyway! I'm trying to protect you of course! I don't want your want feelings to be hurt, or your heart to be crushed...like mine was..." Merlinda's face went to a sad one, to a more upbeat one. "And seriously, you think I would still be in love with someone from like the 1st grade?! Dude, that was ages ago! Of course I would have moved one!" She said as she stood up straight. Ivy suddenly felt stupid for doubting her best friend, but grew a sinister grin at that last sentence.

"Ohhhh~, I see, you found someone _else_to crush on!" Oh, how sweet vengeance can be. Merlinda's smile transformed into an embarrassed one.

"I mean, well, uh...You know how it is Ivy, okay?" She pleaded. Now she knew how Ivy felt when she teased her earlier.

And if she knew a thing or two about Ivy, it's this: She'll repeat earlier actions that happened to her. So that means.

"Oh, I very much do. Now, **who**exactly is my buddy crushing on _**now,**___hmmm?" She smiled a pestering smile. She even poked at her sides, since it was a true annoyance to Linda. Merlinda groaned, seeing as her friend wouldn't end this anytime soon. She caved in.

"Alright, alright! Stop poking me, you know how much I hate that. Ok, I like-"

"Thank God I found you Ivy! Oh, and you too Merlinda!" Just then, Miskit came running towards them. Ivy gave a small pout.

_"Dang it Miskit! She was just about to spill her beans..." _She thought sourly. Still, it was also good to see Miskit, since somehow he was also involved with her love affair.

"Hey Miskit, is something going on? Any news on the Project mission?" Ivy said with full attention. After all, a captain came first before a pestering friend. Merlinda could only stand there as Miskit joined their little circle.

"No, nothing like that yet. It's the elite group. They want to learn some elite skills from you. Apparently, Captain Raldo was talking with them about you after you left, & I left after. He spoke highly of you, for he was there the entire time when we were training.." Miskit had a bit of a tart face as he brought up Captain Raldo. Ivy felt weak, almost limp.

_"Raldo...was watching us? But more importantly, me?!" _Ivy thought. She was feeling light headed, on Cloud 9 if you could say.

"Uh, sure, I'll go. I just needed to finish a conversation with our good friend Linda here." Ivy said, giving a small devilish grin that Miskit couldn't see. Only Merlinda could.

"Ok. Just meet up with me in The Training Facility when you done, right?" He said. Ivy nodded.

"No big, cyya then!"

"Yeah, bye! Nice seeing you Merlinda! I'll see you later!" Miskit said as he was walking away from them.

"U-uh, yeah! I'll see you later! Or maybe earlier than later! Ha ha ha!" Merlinda chuckled a bit nervously. Miskit stared at her strangely, but scoffed & walked inside.

"Errgh, gosh, that was so humiliating! What kind of damn pun was _**that**__**?**_Uggh!" Merlinda put her face in her hands. Ivy saw her action, & slowly pieced it all together.

No. Way.

"You like Miskit? _**Our**___Miskit?! As in, our goofy, tall, silly, Japanese Miskit, or the robot rabbit Miskit in the awesome comic book _**Amulet**___by some author I forgot the name of?!" Ivy said in a joking tone. Merlinda slowly took her hand's of her face dramatically, & glared at her companion.

"I hate you right now.." She muttered. "But yeah, I like him...a lot..." She said tiredly. Ivy smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm not judging you. Miskit is nice, smart, & funny. He's not bad looking either. Now, if you excuse me, I must go & impress a class!" She patted her friend on the back with a wink, and headed inside. Merlinda watched her leave, and sighed sadly.

"You'd think it wouldn't bother you...It will when you find out that he doesn't like me, but you..." She mumbled.

_**XxX**_

_"Hmm, Linda & Miskit together. They are my best friends, I would support them. It __**would**____be weird if they'd break up. I'd have to choice a side, & I don't think I would be able to bring myself to hang out with one of them...Damn, this day is so much more confusing...Hey, the Lab is on the way, maybe I can ask Mom a few questions." _Ivy thought. With her mind made up, she headed down towards the Lab.

"Don't worry, she will be fine with me coming in to disturb her work...and maybe her crew...Well, that sounds bad." She uttered as she walked into her mother's lab. It was still amazing as ever since she first came here. She quickly closed the door behind her, and put on a spare suit on to blend in. She started her search through the sea of scientists.

_"Adams, Barney?! Haha, what kind of last name is that? Um, Fisher, Simpson...Ah, finally found that Martinez!" _She smiled happily as she saw the family name on a nametag of someone talking with 2 other people. She ran over as she saw the others leave, & tapped her shoulder.

"Ivy?!" Her mother responded, seeing her child's familiar fiery hair through the suit mask. "What are you doing here, is this an emergency?" She asked in a worried voice. Ivy shook her head.

"Not like that Madre...I thought **you**were still in an emergency before you left, hearing the need for a fire hose." She said, indicating a pile of charred objects laying near a corner. Her mother shrugged.

"A simple rookie explosion... But, what's the news, kiddo?"

"You won't believe it Mom, Merlinda likes Miskit! Can you believe it? I never would've guessed that, could you?" Ivy said, still astonished at the fact she found out minutes ago. Her mother could only stare in wonder.

"**Merlinda,** likes**Miskit****..." **She said in a small voice. _"Oh, this could be an interesting, yet scary love triangle...Or is a love square, depending if young Raldo chooses to have an interest in one of the girls.. Oh my, we'll just have to wait & see." _She thought.

"I find it weird." Ivy went on. "Well, at first I did. But then I thought about it. I shouldn't judge my best friends. If they like each other, then I shouldn't have a problem with it."

_"Sure, you __**think**____that now dear, but once you find out everything, you'll be screaming bloody murder." _Martinez thought in a haze.

"Well, whatever floats your boat hun. Does Merlinda still think you & Raldo are still...well, a bad chemical mix?" She asked with a sly smile. Ivy rolled at the chemistry themed joke.

"Cute mom, real cute. But yes, she doesn't want me with Raldo. I know she's trying to protect me, but she hasn't spoken to him in over 14 years. He's probably changed. She thinks he's still the Past Raldo, not the Now Raldo. How can I make her see that?"

"Listen sweetie I-"

"Dr. Martinez to the A.M.C immediately please!" Shouted a voice from the other side of the room. The two women froze at the announcement, and stared at each other with sad eyes.

"I need to go...But don't worry, I'll just-"

"No Madre, go. Go find our alien girl."

"Thanks sweetheart. As soon as I finish my shift, how about you, me & Linda order some Chinese food and talk about all of this. Including the papers." She reminded Ivy. A half hearted smile was Ivy's response. She really did have the best mother in the whole world.

"OK, good girl, see you later." With a comforting pat on her girl's shoulder, Dr. Martinez took off to where she was being called to. Ivy stood there for a moment, and slowly walked to the spare suit area. She hanged it up, & walked out the door quietly.

_**XxX**_

"Here she is everyone! Captain Ivy Martinez, one of the best fighters on the base that any of you could ever see!" Miskit introduced Ivy as she walked in the Training Facility to be showered with applause & cheers. Ivy blushed slightly. Miskit sure did know how to make a girl feel welcome.

"Uh, thank you Miskit for that introduction. Hello everyone, I am the elite skilled captain, Ivy. I guess you guys wanted to see some of my skills." All the students nodded as they continued to stare at the young woman. "Well, uh, before I begin, does anyone have any questions that your teacher may not have answered?" She said with a small smile. Miskit gave her a nudge on her shoulder in a teasing matter. He grinned slightly.

"I _**do**___answer questions...I just don't answer the stupid ones." He chuckled. Some elite members snickered at their companions for they knew who would the faulty ones were.

"Ok, enough clowning. You guys came to see me teach you something! I'll just need a volunteer. Any takers?" Ivy asked. Hands immediately shot up. Ivy kept looking around for a good volunteer.

"How about you young man?" She pointed to some man sitting in the middle off to the side. He had dark brown hair, strong brown eyes, & complete milky white skin. Slowly, almost shyly, he got up, and walked over to Ivy. "What's your name newbie?"

"U-um, Jim, Ma'am. Jim Newtron. It will be a great honor to train with you." He said as he bowed at a great level at her. She nodded at this. Did all the shinies worship her this much?

_"Just wait until I become High Commander." _She thought in pleasure.

"Alright then, Jimmy, let's go do it. I'm not going to actually hurt you, just do all the moves in slow motion.

Jim nodded the slightest.

"Ok everyone, pay _**close**___attention. Jim, I want you to grab me by the waist." She ordered. Jim hesitated, but swiftly grabbed the woman by her slim waist. "Good. Now watch what happened when I do this." She quickly grabbed Jim's arms, kicked his leg with the back of her foot so he would fall forward. Everyone watched in amazement as Ivy twirled below him, & flipped him over her head. He landed on his belly with a gentle 'umph' on the safety mat. While still holding on him by his hands, she put her boot on his back.

"You see guys, if I was using real pressure on his back, I could break his spine, thus killing him. The same goes with his arms. I would probably dislocate them if I pulled any harder." She said as she released her captive from her clutches. He stood up with a bit of haziness from that flip.

_"She said she was going to be gentle on me...And that sounded __**sooo**____wrong..." _He thought. He looked over at the young woman once more.

"That was very powerful, Captain Martinez." He thanked her with another bow. She shook her head at him.

"Oh please, don't be so formal. You can just call me Captain Ivy, Captain, or just plain Ivy. I'm fine with either option." She said. Jim nodded.

"Well, thank you for that wonderful show of elite combat skill. Everyone, give her a hand!" Miskit said as he began clapping. The group wasted no time in praising Ivy. Some clapped, whooped, and hollered some "That was incredible!" or "Your amazing Ivy!" Ivy flushed deeply at this.

"Eh, well, I'll just leave you to train this fine elite group. Carry on." Ivy said as she gave a solute to everyone. They did the same. With a final nod, Ivy left the Training Facility.

_**XxX**_

"Alright Georgia, why did you call, is something wrong?" Dr. Martinez asked as she approached a fellow scientist.

"Ahh, Lily, thank goodness you're here! We're having a small problem with the A.M.C." Georgia explained.

"I see...Is it the joystick? That is easy to fix. Here." Martinez took the joystick out of its socket. She took out a tube similar to glue and rubbed some of the funky smelling glop on the end of the stick. After good rubbing, she put the joystick back where it belongs. "Ok, now try it out."

Georgia firmly took the joystick and tried moving it around again.

Complete success.

"Oh, wow, that's amazing! Thank you Lily." She said as she began to experiment on ranges for the next launch. "Also, here's a question. We've been doing the sweep for hours now, and still nothing. We have scanned almost all the surrounding states to us. What are we going to do?" She asked.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that we haven't done a complete search for all the surrounding states?! Who was in charge of that?" This was one of the many few moments that anyone, (including Ivy if she was here) would see the head of G.U.N's science department, actually yell.

"U-um, Ma'am, that was assigned to you & Mary. And Mary has been out sick since yesterday. So, it was your responsibility to do this." Georgia explained in a scared voice. Lily suddenly felt the wave of stupidity at yelling for something she bluntly forgotten.

"I'm sorry Georgia, just so much has happened the past few hours. I guess I completely forgot." She apologized. She looked at her clipboard to avoid weird eye contact Georgia gives when she's suspicious. "You said you did most of the nearby states. Which ones did you now yet get to?"

"Oh, Dimenville, Bellton, New Mobious, Deventown, & Solona."

"I see...hmm. And which of these states are closest to our fair perimeter? She asked, a cloudy shape of an idea forming inside her powerful brain.

"Well, New Mobious and Solona are the closest, they are both just past our lines to our west and east." Georgia stated, the curious look in her bright green eyes still remaining. As to why Martinez was asking such questions?

_"Did I maker her lose it?"_

"Dr. Lanton." Martinez addressed her colleague by her full name. "Please set coordinates for Solona, full sweep." She commanded. Georgia wasted no time in doing what she was told. Quickly, she moved the joystick to the west position, typed in the coordinates, & powered up the machine. The usual humming started up, & the bright flashes of yellow, orange, & faint red exploded in the room again.

Then all the room was silent.

"Well, any results yet?" Dr. Martinez said anxiously. Georgia was still waiting for the results to show. For you see, scanning a full state takes longer than it should for scanning small towns. Minutes passed.

"Now we have the results. After a clean sweep of the entire state of Solona, there have been...no results of alien power, or material."

**"GOD DAMN IT!" **Dr. Martinez shouted. She wrote down a few notes on her clipboard on this test result, and stared at the A.M.C.

"Damn you, why can't you find her, you piece of junk?!" She mumbled.

Finding her could be her big break in her career as a scientist! With the discovery of an alien (even though she belonged in the same category as an anthropomorphic animal) she would be large! She could see it now in the headlines of newspapers, TV shows, she would be the first female scientist of her generation to discover & keep a living being from another plant, & dimension! Her idea flashed with her mind quickly.

_**XxX**_

_"Hello, and welcome back to the Raven Brown Talk Show! I'm your hostess, Raven Brown! Tonight we have a very special guest talking with me. Dr. Lily Martinez!"_

_The audience went loud with an uproar of cheers and claps as Dr. Martinez walked on stage. Her sleek black hair was put up in a cute small bun. She wore her usual labcoat, yet she was wearing a slimming red dress that made her chest pop out. A show off dress really. She sat in the chair next to Raven._

_"Wow Doctor, you look absolutely fabulous! The labcoat really brings out the dress!" Raven complimented._

_ "Thank you Raven, I specially ordered this dress for such a special occasion. I knew this day would come to me." Everyone laughed kindly at this. Raven raised a hand to settle everyone down._

_"Now tell us Doctor, we're all very curious. The Female Project 203? You were the only person to figure out where she was hiding. How was that for you?" She asked._

_ "She was a tricky one, let me tell you. Avoided our radar, our tricks, everything! But, I thought of things she probably __**didn't**____think about. It was hard at first, but all was well for us. It was truly a great adventure." Dr. Martinez explained. Raven could only give her a look._

_"Was it that hard to find her? What were your tricks?"_

_"Umm, Dr. Martinez, are you okay?"_

**_XxX_**

Martinez blinked her eyes. She was back in reality. No shining dress, no awards, no work notice, & most importantly..

No being on the Raven Brown Talk Show.

_"Oh, what a shame. I was really forward to seeing a good future for me & Ivy..." _She thought sadly. She looked at her friend again.

"I'm sorry Georgia. I was just-"

"Lost in your fame fantasies again?" She snickered. Martinez just rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. She did have that habit all the time.

"Yeah, I did. But back to the important things. You would think she's be in Solona, for Solona is warmer this time of year."

"You know her own migration pattern? I thought you just heard about her today!" Georgia questioned. Martinez grew a grin not even Ivy would be able to recognize.

"That doesn't matter _**now**__**,**_Dr. Lanton. What we must do is find the little creature." The last place she could be.

New Mobious.

Of course! That place is a perfect hiding spot for her, to hide amongst her own kind!

"Georgia, this will be our final sweep of the day."

"Ma'am? How will you know for sure?"

"Just trust me Lanton. Now set new coordinates for New Mobious, same charge from the blast of Solona." Lily commanded. Still cautious of her friend's decision, she did as she was told. Moments of loud humming and bright flashed sprung up again.

"Well, what are the results Georgia?" She asked, hope spreading from her eyes to her face now. Georgia looked over the results, & sighed tiredly.

"Same as the last ones. No. Sign. Of. Her." Georgia stated. "Can I go on break now?"

She was positive, she **knew**the Project was hidding there. But how to prove it...

"No Georgia, I got one last trick up my sleeve. Just hear me out. If I'm wrong, take the rest of the day off. Deal?" She asked, putting her hand out in front of Georgia to shake. Oh, the smile on her face at this. She wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep. She shook her hand.

"Deal! Now what is this, 'trick up your sleeve' exactly?" Dr. Lanton asked, being very specific with her air quotes. Martinez smiled again.

"Do a full sweep again, but from...let's go with as early as 2 hours ago!" With a shrug, the doctor at the A.M.C. put in a time for two hours ago so it could detect something that could have surfaced from 2 hours ago. With a swerve of a joystick, & a push of a few buttons, the A.M.C. was off again. It remained humming until all became quiet.

And started glowing purple.

_**That's**___when all the scientists paid attention to the A.M.C. The whole room gathered around Martinez & Lanton as the machine continued its beautiful glow of purple.

"Told you I could find her." Martinez whispered to Lanton with a smirk as Georgia continued to gawk at it with shocked eyes. So much for going home...

"Alright everyone, listen up. Stop your tests and other things useless to us now. I've got the readings on the A.M.C. SO, in other words..."

"We found her."

* * *

Now the REAL hunt is on for Zera. Hope you loved this 32 paged chapter. This chapter was on of the more easier ones to write for the human parts.

Join in next time for **Chapter 11: I'm Sorry?**

**Until then, I'm QueenofInsaneChaos, stay warm my friends! ;3**


	11. Chapter 11: I'm Sorry?

Hey hey hey guys! Welcome back to _**Crime Time Lover (Dimension 5)**_**!**

I can't believe I made it this far in this story! I finally got out of my binder for it, & now in the notebook. I'm probably going to need another notebook cause the one I'm using right now can only hold 4 chapters.

Well, let me say what needs to be said, & you guys can get ready to read this story.

**Reviews- werewolf lover: **Thank you for still supporting my story. I just wish more people were exited about it like you. Oh my, that's terrible, did you find out who was doing it? Sure, I guess I can do that for a friend & a fan. And I do agree, this is a very impressive story, it is one of my favorites that I am working on. Another one I'm working on also has a place in my heart. I can not announce that yet.

**A/N: **Don't take this so seriously, but not too lightly either. Since I'm now on the 11th chapter, I just realized how fast I'm going with this updating, but not the writing. I'm just 2 pages away from finishing Chapter 12. And that sounds disappointing, doesn't it? I know I am. School gets in the way of everything fun. Soo...what I'm trying to say here is, I might not be updating until I have gotten ahead of myself. Planned guess?: Umm, maybe by December? I'm not sure, I'm pretty sure I want to get to like a 22nd chapter before I start updating again. Still considering my options.

**Sonic characters belong to Sega.**

**Zera characters belong to Me. **

_**Enjoy!~**_

* * *

_**Chapter 11: I'm Sorry?**_

__ _"Oh, how am I going to pull this off? I don't do all of the "sorry" act. How am I going to be able to do that to Zeren? _Zera thought in confusion. How can she? She bet he was still pissed with her, but she needed to say this **now!**

"Zera, are you feeling alright?" Asked a small voice. Zera looked up to see Tails entering from the other side of the kitchen. Zera remained sitting on the counter, swinging her legs back & forth. Tails kept eyeing her, despite himself of pouring a glass of juice. "Well Zera? Are you gonna answer me or what?"

Zera could only glare at him for a small moment, then let a sigh escape her lips. "I don't know Tails. I'm just...Did I overreact with Zeren?" She asked with caution. Tails took a long swig of the sweet juicy liquid.

"You want an honest answer, or do you want me to sugar coat it?" He asked. _"Tails suddenly seems quite relaxed despite of what he knows what I can do to him." _Zera thought. Indeed, the young kistune seemed completely unafraid, and a lot less timid than when he first met & even talked with her.

"Tails, here's a fact about me that should be obvious: I like things straight and right to the point. So yes, I would like an honest straight answer, please." She said, her voice dropping to a very serious tone. Tails took a large sip of his grape juice, and looked at Zera dead on.

"I say yes and no. When I took Zeren away from you & Sonic, I took your side. Yes, he didn't have a right to insult you & take it that far. But no, you didn't have to crush, burn, and then throw my remote at him!" Tails said, his voice rising. She just stared at him with an unreadable face. But her eyes said it all.

Sadness, confusion,...and humility.

"I suppose your right Tails, I guess I **did**take it a _**little**_ bit too far as well. I'm not well with other living beings & emotions..." She admitted, slowly stroking her arm in self pity. Tails shook his head.

"Zera, I'm only saying this to you as a friend. That's a lot of bull crap." Zera looked at Tails in shock. He pressed on. "Your pretty open with us. You've only just met most of us, all 10 of us already like you. Despite your, um...problems, physically & emotionally, you still have a good heart."

"Tails, this was all just an act! Ms. Jackie told me this before I came to you all!" Zera couldn't go on. She didn't want to get in an argument with the blond fox. Tails was seeing this too, and slumped against the fridge.

"The point is, you guys need to make up. Try to be good about it, cause he wants to make things right with you too." Tails took his final gulp of juice. With a small purple mustache on his upper lip, he put the cup in the dishwasher, & walked past Zera.

As Tails went up the stairs, he lost that cool stance immediately.

_"Oh god, I can't believe I just did that! I'm surprised she didn't try to attack me right then & there. Guess being cool about it gives me a less chance of being killed!" _Tails was actually looking quite pale in the face. With wobbly knees, he went up to his room, hoping he won't have to pull the lever if something happens.

_"I guess I have to make a right with Zeren..." _She thought in a sad tone. With a final sigh, she jumped up off the counter and walked out of the kitchen.

_**XxX**_

_"__**Can**__she forgive me, __**would**__she forgive me?" _Zeren thought in wonder. Zeren was in the one part of the lab that wasn't all...well, how he called it, sciencey. There was actually a little lounge area in the far corner of the lab. A nice caramel carpet, a small flat-screen T.V, a coffee table, a yellow couch, and a blue recliner. (That's Tails resting place when he pulls the all-nighters on his lab experiments and is too tired to go back to his own bedroom). He kept rocking himself back & forth in the recliner in frustration. Damn, he couldn't take it anymore!

"Zeren, may...may I speak with you?" He heard her soft delicate voice break him out of his angered confusion. He could try to be cool about it, but would she see through it? A shrug was the only card available now.

"You may." He said as he spung the chair around to face her. She was shyly at the door, only her head & a leg was available to see. Zeren knew his face was heating up, but checking would only make him obvious. Still in a slow manner, Zera let her sleek form come into view as she entered. She let the door close on itself. Step after step, she strode closer to lounge area, and sat down on the yellow couch. All was still. All was too quiet as the two distant species sat near each other, but not close enough to have any other physical contact with each other.

_"This is getting unbearable, I need to say something to her..." _With a look of final determination, he spoke. "Zera, I know why we're not speaking right now...I think none of us know where to start." Zeren started, gaining Zera's attention. Her eyes drifted away from her feet, & to Zeren's calm face. "I...I guess I'll start. Zera, I am so sorry that I said those things at you. It was really pushing it past my own limit. I was... just really worried about your well being, & I don't want anything to happen to you or have you taken away from us...from me...I just wish-" This was about the time Zera put her hand over the babbling echidna's mouth to cut him off. This time, small purple eyes glued themselves to beautiful silver orbs. The fawn lips of Zera's twitched into a small grin, only being halfway real. When will she really smile?

"No Zeren, you had a full right to yell at me. I guess I couldn't cope with the nauseating fact that you...could have been right. I was always sincere to myself of making myself unavailable, & scarce. Having someone else prove my skills and awareness wrong...Just, made me detonate on you I guess. What I'm trying to explain here is...I'm sorry I'm so stubborn." Her throat felt dry. It felt weird to apologize, but it kinda...felt good too. Zera's face was having this innocent glow to it, it could be described as bioluminescent. Just pureness was bouncing off of this female hedgehog.

_"This is a perfect moment! You can end it well! Just go for it dude!" _His subconscious was yelling at him from the walls it was trapped in inside his head. He couldn't argue with it though. Indeed, the atmosphere felt perfect for some charm. But he had to be cautious about it. Zera, despite her age, still didn't know that much about life. So, planning this move carefully, he slowly let his hands drift over to Zera's with calm grace.

_"Such delicate little maiden hands, though so strong enough to kill. So perfect...so...kissable..." _His subconscious was getting hungry with lust, he felt like drool was slipping out of his brain. He felt the sudden urge to just suddenly pull on her hands to make her draw closer to him, & kiss her. Just once. Damn it, his hormones **and**his little naughty subconscious was getting to him **fast**** !** No, he needed to be serious and charming right now. _**That**_him can come out when the time was right. He finally gave Zera's hands a tight, but slow squeeze. She immediately stared into her friend's face.

"Zera, no matter what you do or say, you can never appear stubborn to me. The only thing you can ever be to me is amazing & important. Don't forget it." His voice was so soft, so caring, all rolled into one. Oh, how this could make any ordinary girl's heart feel gooey and melt. That was too bad for Zeren though.

Cause Zera was _**far**_from an ordinary girl.

The gesture was...sweet? (She couldn't believe she just thought **that**word in her brain). But it **was****, **she had to give him props for that. Still, she got this weird vibe...no, strange sensation! Burning inside her from it. She couldn't understand it.

_"Only because you haven't ever felt this way before."_

Oh God, not again! That stupid ass of a voice in her head felt cocky enough to show? itself again.

_"Hello again Master. I felt that you needed me here to guide you through another troubling time." _Voice continued. Did it really need to sound so cocky and...well,cocky?

_"I do not want, nor wish for your service Voice. I am fine. I was only just apologizing to Zeren! THIS ISN'T YOUR CONCERN! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD! LEAVE ME ALONE FOR ETERNITY!" _Zera shouted to Voice. It chuckled in the most amused way. Zera felt like she was being held forcefully. And she **really**hated that.

_"Oh, you know you can't let me go. You need me more than you need a heart. I'm apart of you, & will never leave your side. Your __**mine**__**. **__And always will be. The time will soon come when you will finally understand everything, and your destiny." _Voice said with a hiss. Zera wouldn't say this, but it sent a shiver of fear down her spine. She really hated that thing. She could never cope that she was coped with it for the rest of her life.

"Ze-Zera, are you feeling alright?" Zeren's timid voice ,made Zera lose the conversation with Voice. Shit, she must have been in thought too long. Zera responded by repeating Zeren's action to reassure him. There was a jolt jumping up & down in Zeren's spine.

_"She showed interest Just let her stayed hooked for awhile, then __try__ going for the kill. And I mean try, she might have ever been kissed before, could probably attack if she had to." _Zeren's inner self was just full of ideas.

And those ideas could lead to an untimely death.

"Zeren, I am fine. I just...wanted to say..." The girl seemed at a loss of words at what to say next. Or, at all. She tilted her head a bit. Amazingly, her bangs had managed to cover her silver orbs.

"You don't have to say anything Zera. I think I know what your trying to say..." Zeren said in a barely audiable whisper. With a green gloved hand, Zeren placed it under the young girl's chin, tilting it up so Zera can look at his face directly.

Soft silver eyes stayed under the power of caring purple orbs.

_ "His heartbeat...is getting intensifyingly strong..."_ Zera thought_, _her highly trained, (you can say sensitive too), ears, picked out the sound of fast beating coming from her friend. Wonder why...

_"So close...too close! You guys are only a few spaces away! JUST GO FOR IT MAN!" _The mini him inside of himself was practically shrieking now. But, I guess it couldn't be helped. Yes, the setting now...it was time.

_"Sonic, dude, I love & respect ya, but the promise I made to you today? I just can't help it, nor can I control myself, I'm sorry..." _It pained Zeren to misheave his pal's words, but the power inside him was overpowering. "Just, go man..." He repeated, tone so deep, but quiet.

"Z-Zeren? Is there a problem? Zera said, her voice _**just**_beginning to itch with panic. Zeren was inching his face closer to hers, breath by breath. Almost there...

"Hey Zera, Zeren, we need to do the tests now! I just remembered I have other things to do that needs fast attention! Tails' shouts could be heard all through the house, and even towards the lab. The disappointing pause in Zeren's plan was no doubt angering the slow lust filled orange echidna.

_"Ignore him!" _Little him demanded. Zeren gritted his teeth in frustration. Oh, how much he wanted to ignore Tails right now. He was so close... So close, he could feel her breath brush against his lips, sending a tingle throughout his entire body. How she smelled...just ripe & ready for the taking...just...

"I think Tails is asking for our presence now..." Zera whispered. Oh, how cruel it was to see her eyes look away from him. Down-casted, even from him. _"Don't look away Zera..."_

"But, we don't have to go right away..." He replied, moving just a tiny bit closer.

That was too much for Zera.

In a flash, she was up and off the couch. That retreat was more of confusion than in fear. She slowly looked back at the echidna.

"As much as I hate being told to do something, Tails' voice is sounding pretty urgent right now. I think we should listen to him." Zera stated. Zeren couldn't testify his thoughts. She, as a woman, was right. As a woman should be.

"Sure. Go ahead to meet up with them, I'll um... I'll catch up with you guys in a few minutes." He said. Zera had confusion in her eyes at his words. "It's fine, really, go on without me." He said when Zera had opened her mouth to try and protest on his decision. With his final nod, she walked out of the lab and into the house. All became silent in the Lab as Zeren sat with himself to think things over.

"I just had her in my grasp! How could I let this opportunity slip through my fingers?!" He whispered loudly. Oh, this burning anger inside him will not settle. His chance. Probably his _**only**_chance had just walked out of that door.

"How could you let that happen!? She was just in your grip!" Mini him demanded an explanation. Zeren just didn't have an answer. What could he say? Was it that she walked away or,... was it the fear of rejection that was actually holding him back?

"I... I don't know. I don't think that she would have enjoyed it as much as I would have. I have to think about her feelings as well." He countered.

"And when do you care about what the lady wants?! We just go for what we want remember? That was a motto! I should've just taken care of her myself!"

"YOUR JUST A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION! YOU'D JUST MAKE ME LOOK CRAZY!" He took a deep breath, wondering why he was shouting with his brain. "And, well, things change! It doesn't always have to be like this."

"Oh, your right Zeren. Things do change. Even people. You started changing. What happened to the old Zeren?"

"HE'S GONE! THAT ZEREN LEFT!... He was tired, okay? Tired of... of always getting looked down on! Of always looking stupid... Looking like a criminal..." He shot back with full anger. HIs other side had nothing to act on this. They both knew what Zeren felt deep inside, but the other side didn't know what was really deep inside of him.

"So, let me get this straight. Your actually being caring about a girl, who you've known for 2 days and a night?" This hasn't happened before to you." Zeren had to scoff at this. Did he really not know himself?

"I just...really like her a lot, and want her to like me too. She can see me like no one else can...She makes feel...something I haven't felt before, or ever in my life. She's just so special to me."

"In simpler words, your in love with Zera, correct?" A voice spoke out to him. Zeren froze from his pacing he didn't realize he was doing as he looked at the unnoticed guest leaning coolly against the door frame and a very mischievous smirk placed on peach lips.

"SONIC?! Oh, hey! Ummm...he-heh, how much of that did you hear exactly?" Zeren said nervously. Sonic started to chuckle.

"Oh, I came in when you were talking about how this old Zeren is over with, and a new one is being born. So I need to tell everyone, or just Zera that you actually talk out-loud to yourself & you ''subconscious''?"

"S-Sonic, c'mon man, your n-not seriously gonna t-tell them about all of this, will ya?" He stuttered. Damn, if any of the gang found out, hell, if even Zera found out, his life could be over. He couldn't even imagine what Zera would think if she heard any of this... He would be utterly humiliated as being known as ''The Crazy Guy That Likes Having Conversations To Thin Air". Great.

"Relax Zeren, I won't say a word to _**anyone**_about it. It will be our little secret." Sonic said reassuringly to him, pretending to sip his lips as the phrase goes. Zeren let out a loud sigh of relief at this, and headed out to the house to get another bottle of water to drink, and perhaps a snack. Once Sonic was sure his orange echidna friend was gone, he broke into a wicked grin as he pulled out a small black recorder from his spiky blue quills. Maybe it was a good thing he had it on & in his quills. He was originally using it to see if he could find & pick up some feedback of a little camera or something hidden in the walls that Amy put in 5 weeks ago. Sonic still doesn't know why she did it, but with her, it was always for Sonic. But THIS, was a better reason to have it.

"_**Blackmail**__**,**_on the other hand, is a completely different story. Oh, this going to be deliciously fun." He chuckled darkly, the stopped for a moment. _"That's exactly what Rouge would say. I hope I'm not turning into her." _He thought with a shiver, as he knew trying to be like the albino bat was anything but funny. It felt more like a crime acting like Rouge. With that said, the slightly frightened hedgehog went after his friends in his house.

_**XxX**_

__"Wow Zera, that's pretty neat! I know that telekinesis is lightly around (for some reason I feel like I know someone that does), but this a good example of advanced telekinesis!" Tails said in astonishment. Zera was not only floating in the air with a pale grey aura bathed apon her, but she was also able to start walking on the ceiling, and somehow made a book Tails was reading on the coffee table start walking. It was simply incredible! The only form of telekinesis Tails has heard yet never witnessed was the ability to levitate or fly, and also make inanimate objects plus living things float as well.

"Oh, this is nothing Tails. Using my telekinesis to control objects or even people is quite easy. All I have to do is search in the person's heart, and take control. To show an example, I'll need a subject to collide with." She stated. As if on cue, Sonic came rushing in the family room where Zera & Tails were in. Where she got the skill to predict an event, she'll never know herself, just be glad she had it. "Perfect."

"Oh, Master Sonic." She called. Sonic was looking around the well sized room for her, but to no avail, did he find her. She sighed in a bit of frustration at him for not looking in the most important direction: up, "No Sonic, I'm up here on the ceiling showing (& soon demonstrating) Tails some of my powers." She said. Sonic finally looked up to see the female hedgehog float down from the said brown ceiling.

"Wow, that's pretty cool Zera! And I see you brought that freaky aura out again. But then again, isn't that telekinesis stuff kind of cheating with our race. I mean, I can fly with the power-"

"Sonic, it would be wise **not**comment on something that you, & forgive me for saying this term, but things you don't know shit on. I would very much appreciate it if you didn't criticize my way of my messed up life. I don't take insults very lightly. Remember that now. Zera said with a smile that involved fangs as she had slammed her hand over Sonic's mouth. Oh, the sweet terror in her victims' eyes as she had them in her clutches. Sonic had a right to be scared now. How she said that with a small threatening smile, and how her voice was being soft and dangerously cold at the same time was both terrifying...

And quite interesting.

Sonic nodded to show that he understood her clearly. Happy with that. she slid her hand off of his mouth. " I also want to apologize for what I am about to do to you. This is all for the young genius kitsune." Before Sonic could even make his face of confusion mixed with small fear, or even open his mouth to object to what ever the hell she wanted to do, Zera's beautiful aura came back, and started to surround the poor hero's unsuspecting body. It looked like a light show in Tails' mind as he furiously wrote down notes at the scene before him.

"As you can see Tails, I have complete control of Sonic. He had an open heart, as his pure hero self would show." Sonic said. Zera's eyes were now a deep blue, just as her aura changed blue. Her hand was slightly lifted at Sonic's head as if she was controlling him from his brain. She was controlling him to talk, that's why Sonic was talking like Zera. "You can hardly tell I have him under my power, since my aura is hidden inside of him. The only problem is, I can't move when I do this. This is why on missions-" Sonic suddenly stopped talking all together. Tails looked up at his superior hedgehogs in worry. Sonic suddenly jumped up in the air, having a shocked look on his face. Zera was just a statue next to him as he was clutching at his chest trying to breathe. Forget worry, this is a time to panic! Quick as a whip Tails sprung into action. He first surveyed between both hedgehogs. He went to Sonic first.

"Sonic, bro, can you breathe well now?" He asked, his voice stained with fear for the guy he called his older brother. Sonic's chest was heaving up and down just as fast as he legs would move if he was running. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Sonic came to.

"Tails! Little buddy, what just happened?" Sonic's voice was shaking Tails noticed. Without hesitation, he sat Sonic down on one of their couches.

"Umm... well, what do you exactly remember?" Tails asked slowly with caution.

"A-all I remember, was Zera being the Queen of Creepy, then she was apologizing for something to me...Then everything got cold... and dark." He shivered. Tails gave a small gasp as this. That _**did**_sound scary and life threatening...

"Oh...well, the thing is, um... Zera kind of took control of you with her powers." Tails explained. Sonic's reaction was quick.

**"YOU LET HER TAKE OVER MY BODY!? AND YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP HER!?" **Sonic shouted. He grabbed his brother by his blond shoulders and shook him like a rag doll.

**"OW, OW, OW SONIC! **Ok look, I'm sorry that I let her take control of you. It was **A RISK FOR SCIENCE!" **The smart junior cried out. Sonic had a mad twitch starting in his right eye, teeth clenching together in anger as his grip tightened.

**"YOU SOLD MY LIFE FOR SCIENCE!? DUDE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT FEELS!"**

** "SONIC, IT ISN'T LIKE I WANTED HER TO KILL YOU! ZERA DID IT ALL ON HER OWN! **She just wanted to show me what we actually need to help her..." Tails admitted. Sonic, now seeing that he was hurting his own brother physically & emotionally, let his grip go. Tails immediately rubbed his shoulders to ease the pain.

"I'm sorry bud, I didn't realize it was for an important part to our mission with Zera. It was just weird... and" Sonic leaned in closer to one of Tails' ears. "Between you & me, when she was first controlling me, I felt the power of Chaos at hand..." He whispered.

A gasp was heard. "You mean, the feel you & Shadow get when your using the power of a Chaos Emerald?!" Tails and Sonic turned to see Zeren walking in with a bag of jelly beans (which use to belong to Tails).

"Um, yeah. Dude, where did you find that? Tails always has that under complete lockdo- OWW!" Sonic yelped as Tails elbowed his side quite harshly. Zeren chuckled at this brotherly nature that he always had with Joey. He finally noticed Zera sitting on the couch across from them, looking quite stunned & staring into the great beyond.

"Guys, is Zera okay? She looks kind of... broken." Zeren said. 3 pairs of eyes looked onto the black hedgehog's body.

"Zera, can you hear us?"

"Zera, wake up chicka!"

"Zera, please talk to us."

After 2 minutes of shouting, and snapping fingers in her ears, Zera was unresponsive to their actions.

**"DUDE, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" **Zeren shouted at Sonic. Sonic then glared at him.

**"HOW WAS THIS MY FAULT?! YOUR GIRLFRIEND HERE WAS CONTROLLING ME! FOR ONCE, I'M THE VICTIM HERE!" **He shot back. Tails came in-between then when he saw fists starting to form.

**"GUYS, GUYS! **This isn't important now. We need to get Zera out of that trance!" Tails said, trying to become the peacemaker in all of this. "How about we just take her to the lab and try to some tests? You think you guys can carry her?" Tails suggested. Zeren and Sonic looked at each other then shrugged at the fox.

Carefully, the 2 older ones carried the female hedgehog off the couch, and tried carrying her to the Lab without dropping her.

"Hey bro, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I guess I'm just so attached to Zera, I instantly blamed you. Forgive a friend?" Zeren asked. Sonic sighed, glancing at Zeren over his shoulder.

_"He's still the innocent hard head I remember..." _Sonic thought as he was looking at Zeren. Zeren still had that childish face when Sonic first met him when Zeren was 10. Sonic snapped out of his past with Zeren. He nodded. "Sure, we'll let bygones be bygones. Forgive & Forget." He said. Sonic nodded as Zeren sighed in relief of the blue hedgehog's forgiveness.

"Ok guys, you can set Zera back on the examination table." Tails ordered them. Without a second command, Sonic and Zeren placed Zera on the table.

"Now...how do we get her out of this little trance?" Tails asked his elders. Sonic could only shrug. He was a hero that runs, not a hero that does medical things. Zeren could only look at her. Using his own powers on her...that could be risky not only to them, but also to her. _"I don't want her to...again.." _He thought.

"Should we just, I don't know, shock her back to reality?" Sonic suggested. Tails & Zeren gave him looks of bewilderment. Sonic looked back at them with confusion. "What? It's an idea, you guys weren't coming up with anything."

"Sonic, your sounding like a mini Eggman."

"SHUT UP TAILS!"

"I have a point though Sonic...but we could do something less...well..."

"Harmful, and won't make her kill us all on the spot." Zeren said, almost like he read Tails' mind.

"Huh, I guess I see your point. Then what do we do? I haven't seen anyone lost like that since Zeren blanked out on that test last month." Sonic said, earning an angry blush & glare from the mentioned echidna.

"Wait, I had an idea while you guys were talking." Tails exclaimed. Sonic & Zeren turned to see Tails putting on a white glove. The kind doctors use when they do operations, or when they need to...

"Tails, if your doing what I think your going to do: **DON'T****.** She might kill you. Then **us**for letting you do it!" Sonic squealed. Tails only managed to give his only brother a look that no one, not even Sonic, would think he would make. Tails was always the guy with the smile. The guy with the brain & plans.

"Relax you two. I'm not going to do...what you guys are thinking..." Giving the sophomores a strange look. Why do the older guys always had the weirdest & creepiest ideas when it comes to women, &...other things.

_"I'm really not looking forward to puberty...or getting older with certain things..." _Tails thought sadly, feeling a bit awkward again. With that awkward scene done, Tails did the unthinkable. The thing none of them, not even the girls would think of doing to the all powerful dangerous female hedgehog.

Tails slapped Zera dead in the face.

Zeren and Sonic could only stare in horror. _"Tails is digging his own grave." _They thought. The reaction was quick. Silver irises grew dark, a muzzle stained with a small imprint on where Tails smacked her. Faster than anything, Zera had the blond fox's collar in her deadly grip, her fist just centimeters away from his cute face. Tails eyes were wide with terror, knowing that death was just waiting for Tails in only a few moments.

_"Wait, what is...in her eyes?" _Tails said, now observing Zera closely. Her eyes were... actually looking a bit clouded. _"Is she...relieving something?" _Tails thought. Indeed, those eyes were clouded. Sonic had this happen to him before. It was harsh on Tails, trying to fend Sonic off.

"Zera? Zera! It's me, Tails! You know, the new smart friend you made? The friend and many others that want to help save you?" His words got a bit tense when the fist descended closer to his face.

"Tails, try harder!" Zeren said. Neither the male hedgehog or echidna were going to try to get too close to the others. It's not that they didn't care for Tails' well being and safety. They loved Tails to death.

It's just that they didn't want to have broken limbs.

"Um...come on Zera, snap out of it! This isn't like you! You would actually think before hitting someone! You actually wanted to control not only your powers, but also your anger! Please Zera, look into your heart & see the truth! Please Zera, snap out of it!" Tails pleaded. He was lucky that those words got to her before her fist collided with his nose. Slowly, ever so on his collar loosened up enough for him to escape. He slowly scooted away, just in case she had second thoughts on strangling him again. Now in the protective hold of Sonic, Tails could safely look at Zera's eyes.

It was happy to say the cloudiness in her eyes was finally fading away, and silver was visible again. The guys watched as Zera seemed more aware of her surrounding, and the people staring in front of her.

"I didn't...lose it, did I?" She asked them, her voice showing more confusion than her face was. _"But that only makes her cuter. A dazed, confused Zera is a new kind of adorable." _Zeren thought happily, drinking in this holy site.

"Well, I guess you kind of did, and also didn't. I mean after you took over my body." Sonic's voice grew dark for a second. "You went totally blank on us. Then your eyes got all foggy looking. Tails tried to slap you back to this reality." Zera's eyes fell onto the small yellow kitsune. Her eyes clearly stating. "I'm Angry With You, But I Am Forced To Not Harm You". Tails was definitely afraid for his life now than he was 2 minutes ago. "Then, you almost pounded on Tails for slapping you. Thankfully Tails snapped you out of it before you could hurt him. What was that all about anyway?" Sonic asked. Zera grinded her teeth together.

_"Maybe they didn't notice my problem. I can't risk them finding this one thing out."_

"Well, um, I guess I blanked out with thinking about doing tests again. I haven't gotten over the fear of death, the pain, and the torture I always went through whenever the scientists made me do...unspeakable things." She added a shiver for a dramatic effect. Not only for extra effect, but those painful memories gave her a chill. Good cover up for the real meaning.

"Well, that's understandable. But don't worry Zera, we aren't evil crazy scientists." Zeren glanced at Tails. "Well, we aren't evil. Crazy scientist on the other hand." He let his voice trail away. Tails gave him a hard nudge at the joke. Just because he was smart, loved to make inventions & experiments, he's deemed the crazy mad scientist. He's not like Eggman: He's not bald, not ugly, not lonely, and most importantly, he wasn't crazy/ creepy.

"Alright, you guys have convinced me. As my allies, I know I have to trust you. But, if what I heard you all emphasize to me is proven false, things will not only get ugly, they'll get drastic for you three. Maybe even for everyone else." Zera said to them. A wave of nausea splashed over the guys as they stared at the girl who has the simple power to strike fear into their hearts with only a sentence.

"Now, are you going to get these tests done, or are you all just going to stand there thinking that death is breathing down your backs?" She stated to them. Tails was the first to snap out of his fear state, & focused on the matter at hand.

"Sure. I want to see you do more with your powers. With the right notes. I think I might have something for you." Tails said. Finally the 2 found the way back to the present, and looked at the junior fox.

"What's that suppose to mean lil bro? Sonic asked. It was quite in fact a weird sentence. Tails can be quite a mysterious kid when it comes to his work, but never like this. Tails only looked over at the blue racer with a sly smile.

_"Man, despite Tails' cuteness, the little dude is creepy sometimes..." _Zeren thought with worry. "We'll um, I guess we'll leave you two to it. We'll just be in the living room if you guys need anything...or Tails needs some projection.." He said. Zera & Tails nodded as Sonic & Zeren left the Lab and closed the large white doors.

_**XxX**_

"Now then, shall we proceed with the tests?" Tails asked. Zera nodded just a bit. Tails began to grin slightly. Was it wrong to be doubtful on this suggested idea? "OK Zera, let's start this off right. After the destruction of my latest version of the remote, I was wondering about how you did it. Do you think you can demonstrate that ability for me?"

"Of course I can. And I am sorry about that Tails. I now feel guilty, and will pay any kind of debt I can offer to you." Zera said. It was a very tempting offer, but Tails wasn't one to take advantage of a great opportunity of "small" revenge. Not unlike a certain blue hedgehog despite his heroic heart. & 3 echidnas. Wait, would knuckles even count? Sure, he'd get back at Zeren and Sonic if they teased or pranked him, but when they were about to get clobbered then ask him if they could pay him by being his servants, Knuckles revenge isn't always as harsh as you would think. Knuckles isn't always prone to suggestions.

_"Maybe being with Rouge made him a little soft."_

"Oh, it's quite alright Zera. Your friendship and well, keeping things interesting around here is a paid debt all on it's own." For some reason that felt weird in his mouth. "Err, well, you think you can burn through this piece of steel?" Tails questioned. Just a few feet in front of her (Somehow Tails set that all up in front of her when they were in conversation), was a 5 inch think square of steel on a small stand.

_"Just hope I don't burn down more than just the steel...or the stand." _Zera sounded sure that something else was going to get burned. That didn't settle with that now being said.

"_"If she burns more than just the required material, I think Sonic might need to restrain me from trying to harm Zera."_ Tails had many items and blueprints that could be flammable, & Tails didn't want to live through that hellish nightmare again. Tails was so lost in thought, that he didn't see her shoot fire out of her palms and blast the steel cube to bits. Tails slowly looked above his clipboard to see small flames dancing around the pile of ash that used to be an actual object. And now that Tails thought about it, seemed like valuable material for him.

"Oh, wow! Zera, that was...well, wow!" Tails exclaimed as he rushed to write down notes on this partly missed experience of power. He did love the results even better, knowing what it could lead to. Tails glowed in an unhealthy way for a moment, which immediately made Zera tense up and feel a little self conscious.

"I just appreciate the help Tails. You may be the only scientist I would ever trust. And that is stating plenty, even at your age..." _"Then again, the more he experiments on me, the more he finds out about me... This might turn on me against my favor... Better give him the simple things to execute about..."_

"It's just extraordinary that your able to do all of this. I mean, I thought Shadow had his moments, but compared to you he has nothing. Tell me Zera, what else do you have?" He asked, hope flaring in his eyes like a wild fire. Perhaps it would be the best to leave Tails in a bit of wonder... but, he was merely a child with an IQ higher than Earth's most brilliant mind.

_"Plus, the fact still stands that he is only curious, & so innocent... I don't think he wants to aim to hurt me."_

"Well, I can also make forms of energy in my hands. In self defense of course." She added. With those very words said, Tails was already waiting for her to demonstrate this interesting ability. Zera had to admit, this little guy was interested in what ever she did. It almost please her.

It felt nice.

To be appreciated for once instead of being looked down in fear as an evil creature. It almost made her forget her plan for revenge against Tails for smacking her earlier.

Almost.

"Ok Tails, observe closely at this." She ordered. Tails got closer as Zera's left palm began to glow with a color similar to blue. A certain smell began to stain the air. It was distant, yet so familiar to Tails at the same time.

Before long, a single orb of glowing energy was spinning around as fast as an atom would in her tan palm. Tails blue irises glowed a bit darker, the light from the ball reflecting into his eyes.

An absolutely beautiful site.

"That's impressive Zera. You can make it larger too. I hope?" He asked, never taking his eyes off of it. She nodded.

"Not only that my young friend, but I can also multiply, and make it change its shape." As to comply to this, the orb got smaller, then split into 2 smaller ones. Tails started to grin in excitement. If that wasn't impressive enough, this next shift caught the boy's eye. The larger of the balls began to morph into something. A head, followed on it by two large eyes, big eyes, a fluffy muzzle, & a friendly smile later, was an exact replica of the famous boy genius himself. What ever Tails did, the smaller head did. Tails started to giggle as he made a raspberry towards his smaller self. He burst into a compliment ray of smiles.

"This is just incredible Zera! You think I can catch this as a sample for further tests & studies?" He asked her. She only answered in a shrug, which gave the blond kitsune enough of an answer of a yes. He quickly went over to one of his tables to hold a small glassy container. Walking back over to the female hedgehog, he opened it up to allow Zera to place the orb inside it. Once sealed inside, he put it back on a table with a large board next to it, filled with notes of some kind. Even next to the container was Tails clipboard. A thought suddenly came to her then.

"Tails, are you sure you want to go along with this? I'm having second thoughts that that small thing can contain that small ball of energy. It may be small in size, but large on the scale of destruction." Zera had to say. She didn't want to be responsible for Tails getting hurt. She would feel the worst kind of pain she would ever have: Guilt. Tails could only smirk at this news.

"Trust me Zera, it won't be getting out of there that easily. I made the casing strong enough to hold even the biggest of a nuclear explosion. And a tiny pissed Sonic." Zera raised a brow in confusion at that. A tiny...Sonic? She didn't even want to know, or begin to imagine it. "Um, yeah, you don't want to know about that mishap. It was awhile ago."

"Oh...right...Well, um, is this all you need from me?" She asked him. Tails nodded while rushing around the room. He was fast & light on his toes.

"Yes, that will be all Zera. Hopefully I can have everything done by tomorrow." He said. Zera gave him a strange look, but felt that she didn't need to be present here.

"That's good. I guess me and Zeren will head home then. We will see you tomorrow at school. Hope you have a good, & safe night Tails." She offered to say. Tails mumbled a 'good night' to her. With that, she walked out of the Lab, and right into the kitchen to grab a quick snack. An apple to be exact. A crunch later, she was hearing voices coming from the living room. Her first instinct was to attack, but she fought that and decided to listen.

"So, about what we said earlier at lunch again. Have you taken any action since then? Like, per say, when the apology happened?" She recognized the voice as Sonic's. What was he talking about? The apology? _"Wait, is he talking about-" _

"I think so. I mean, something felt right at that moment, but I kinda...went scarce. I was really close, but packed up my bags in fear. Nervous I guess." Yup, that was most definitely the orange echidna. You couldn't miss that calm, soothing voice that was slightly deep. At least compared to Joey's voice and-

_"Wait a minute, what am I saying? Why am I caring so much about the description of Zeren's voice?" _Zera thought. It was a pretty wild thing to speak about, especially of a being of Zera's stature. Trying to break free of these repulsive thoughts, she shook her head, & walked into the living rom.

"Hello guys, what are you talking about?" Zera asked, taking another bite of the apple innocently. Oh, how it felt good to have skill. Sonic & Zeren looked up at their female friend who was leaning against the entrance way. Sonic quickly stood up from where he was sitting.

"Oh, um, hi Zera, didn't hear you come in! Eh...how much did you hear?" He asked with a nervous look in his eyes. She was having a hard time trying to not smirk. It did succeed. She took another bite of her Kiku apple.

"Oh, I didn't hear anything I could only hear your voices & couldn't make out what you both were saying." She replied. Sonic couldn't say anything to that.

_"Maybe she __**did**__hear us, but she's playing coy with us and letting it slide..." _Zeren thought. Now with a small fear trapped in his heart, he looked at Zera.

"So, are you & Tails finished with all the tests? Zeren asked trying to pass by the awkward moment. In a few more bites, Zera had finally finished off the apple. Core and all.

"Yes, we just finished a few minutes ago. Are you ready to return to Ms. Jackie?" Zera asked Zeren.

"Yeah, sure. It was getting pretty late anyway." He said as he grabbed his bookbag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Bye Sonic, tell Tails I said so. Have a good night." Zeren said. Zera gave Sonic a small wave as she and her companion walked out the front door.

_**XxX**_

"So Zera, what do you feel like eating when we get home? Mum likes to have dinner requests." Zeren said as they were halfway home. Zera shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I don't know that much about food or anything. Been trapped in a high class cell & on the run for so long, remember?" She responded with an annoyed scoff. Zeren mentally slapped himself for forgetting the obvious.

"Erm, I know that! I just um, wanted to know what kind of taste you have. Was that wrong?" He was puzzled as they stopped at a stoplight. Cars of varied colors drove around them as they were going to their destination. Zera shrugged.

"I suppose not...I guess I feel like I'm in a feel for meat. Is that a fair idea? Or am I sounding a bit too pushy and demanding?" And maybe for once, she looked a bit nervous. Which, in a way, was a new turn-on for Zeren.

_"A shy, bashful Zera. Score." _He thought.

"No no Zera, it's fine. Mum can handle it. Like she said, she loves cooking for others. It's not only her job, but it's also part of her charm." Zeren said. Zera could surprisingly agree with that. Jackie seemed to be that type of woman.

"Zeren?" The said echidna looked at the girl who spoke his name in interest. "If you don't mind me asking, but why do you call your mother, Mum? You guys don't seem to have any genes that involve being English." Zera asked. The stoplight finally turned red, halting all cars. Zeren & Zera crossed the street in a slow manner.

"Well, I guess I call her that is because... It feels right to us. My brother and I truly respect our mother. She's given, and done everything for us... For the family.." Zeren was getting lost in his memories & thoughts.

"That, is actually pretty sweet Zeren. It looks like you all care about each other..." Zera said, but really wasn't looking at him, & seemed to have taken her pace a bit more seriously. Soon enough, the poor echidna had to chase after the hedgehogette down the next 2 blocks. If anyone passing by them saw this, it would look like a cute couple chasing after each other.

By the time they reached their destination, Zeren's face was all red, while Zera's face was calm. "Was there a reason why I was chasing you down Zera? Was it something I said?" The tired 17 year old asked. Zera glanced over her shoulder at him with a smirk.

"Yes, there was. I need to use the bathroom. And I wanted to have a few minutes of fun running. Oh, that explains it. With a nervous chuckle, he took his house keys out of his pocket, & unlocked the door. Not only in two steps when Zeren walked in, was he hit in the face by a sweet piece of apple pie.

* * *

And there you go, a perfect 30-32 page chapter from the Zera side. Hope you liked it. Tried to spice it up.

I know it's Sunday, & I'm 2 days late. I was just REALLY tired on Friday. Sorry about that. Next time I'll do better.

Hope to see you all next time on **Chapter 12: Phase 2, Phase Change.**

Ta-ta! _~Ari_


End file.
